HouseCameron: Take My Pain
by Housegal
Summary: House/Cameron. Cameron gets attacked and raped on her way home from PPTH. How does she deal with it and how does House deal with his ever-increasing feelings for her? Hameron romance, hurt/comfort, angst. WARNING contains rape and other mature themes.
1. Shadows

House/Cameron: Take My Pain

Chapter 1

It was nearing dusk, and the last golden light was seeping through the windows in the diagnostic department of PPTH. A steady breeze was blowing across the parking lot of the hospital, rustling the leaves around the cars and warning everyone of winter's soon arrival. Five doctors sat in the office, discussing the possible illnesses that could be killing a woman and her unborn child.

"What if our original assumption was wrong", Dr. Cuddy wondered. "If we assume she has mirror syndrome, then we must terminate the pregnancy. We have to explore the other possibilities."

Cameron sighed and rubbed her temples. It had been a long day, and now the added complications of the patient meant that her day would be even longer.

"Okay. Chase, go do an MRI. Foreman, go get a more detailed patient history. Cameron, do another ultrasound. Cuddy, take off your shirt," House demanded.

Dr. Cuddy rolled her eyes while the others got up to do their procedures. House looked at Cuddy. "Well, I don't see any buttons being undone, so what are you still doing here?"

Cuddy gave him a look and stalked out of the office. House leaned back in his chair, sipping his coffee and studying the whiteboard, contemplating the mass of symptoms. Something was missing...

"House."

He turned and saw Cameron's thin body in the doorway, arms folded. "The baby's lungs show signs of lesions. If we fix those, it should develop normally and the mom should recover too."

House nodded. "We missed those lesions because the lungs hadn't fully developed yet. Like I said."

Cameron looked at him tiredly. "Yeah. Great job. Gold medal," she answered, rubbing her temples.

House glanced at her. "What? My heavy sexuality already wearing you out?"

She didn't even bother responding. How could she, when he was almost exactly right? Pining after him silently for all these months _did _wear her out. But she nonetheless tried to keep her emotions in check. Cuddy strode into the office.

"Good job guys.... Now that our patient is going to live, you can go home."

"But _Mom_," House whined. "I haven't even gotten a turn on the swings yet." Cuddy ignored him and handed Cameron the file to chart. Cameron sighed, but got down to work. She could feel House looking at her, but tried to ignore it and stop thinking about him. He didn't like her like that. But she still dreamed...

"Okay then. I'm going to go finish watching my porn. You weren't ever a porn star, were you Cameron? It sure would be nice to know which website to look on, you know, help an old cripple out."

She didn't even look up. To House, it seemed as if she was merely brushing him off, but it took Cameron a world of strength not to just show him just what a porn star she would like to be with him.

***

Half an hour later Cameron, having finally finished the charting, got up to clean the remaining mugs in the sink. She spent extra time on House's favourite red one, dreamily imagining what it would be like if she did this all the time, if they were in a relationship. The sky had grown dark, and she brushed away these thoughts while physically shaking her head. What she needed now was rest, not more sleepless nights dreaming about those piercing blue eyes...

Cameron got her jacket and made her way down the stairs to the parking lot. She was so tired she could barely keep her eyes open, but felt the slightly chilly autumn wind when she stepped outside. She didn't notice a tall figure, shrouded in shadow, silently watching her walk to her car.

***

House was aimlessly playing on his gameboy, trying to keep a certain young woman out of his head. Ever since their disastrous date months ago, he had tried to forget all about her, but for the most part of the day his thoughts were consumed by her. He wanted to take her on another date, to watch her laugh and look at him, and he wanted to protect her from any harm that might come her way. He didn't understand his feelings, but he knew they were there.


	2. Hurt

Chapter 2: (WARNING: contains rape)

Cameron was still thinking about House, and was completely unaware of her surroundings. As she crossed the parking lot towards her car, she abruptly awoke from her daydreams and looked around the dark lot, suddenly unnerved by the feeling of another person nearby. She brushed it off and kept walking, but checked over her shoulder constantly.

She didn't start to panic until she felt a hot breath on the back of her neck and hands grip her shoulder and throat tightly and painfully. "Don't move, and don't make a noise," a deep voice hissed through the desolate darkness. "I have a knife, and I will use it if I have to." Cameron felt a cold metal blade press against her face, and fear began to course through her veins. She fought to keep her breathing steady, but she could feel herself beginning to hyperventilate.

Her attacker roughly pushed her towards the clump of woods next to the parking lot. Cameron could feel tears pouring down her cheeks, panic setting in. She looked around wildly for an escape, anything... her attacker noticed her looking around and pulled her closer to him.

"You try anything funny, bitch, you won't live to tell the tale."

He dragged her behind the first two trees and began to take off her clothes. It was all Cameron could do not to scream out in fear and pain, and her sobs were constant now. He yanked off her jacket and sweater, ripped open her blouse and threw her onto the ground. Cameron felt the prickles of the autumn leaves scratch her back, and smelt his dirty, sweaty smell as he leaned over her, leering.

"Shut up your crying, stupid bitch," he demanded. "God, you're so fat and ugly, just look at yourself." Cameron forced herself to stop sobbing, but her silent tears kept coming, although he could barely see them in the dark. He smashed his mouth against hers, and began to wildly kiss her, demanding that she kiss back, reinforcing this command by pounding her head on a tree root. Cameron began shaking so hard she couldn't control herself, her body had taken over – she was floating outside of it, almost frozen with pain and fear.

Her attacker proceeded to grab at her, wrench off her bra and fondle her breasts roughly and painfully. Cameron whimpered in fright when he moved down to remove her pants, but did not make any more noise than that. He jerked them off until she was lying on the ground naked except for her underwear.

"Please..." she whispered, inaudible above the whistling wind.

He pulled down his own pants and put his hand on her, moving it around beneath her underwear. Cameron felt sick, like she was going to throw up, but made herself lie there silently, praying she would survive. Breathe – just breathe... Cameron squeezed her eyes shut and clenched her fists, feeling her nails digging into the palms of her hands. She felt him lower himself on her, felt him enter inside of her and begin to forcefully ram himself in her. She screamed from the pain, until he pounded her head to the ground with his fist. Cameron saw stars, and felt herself slipping away as he continued to rape her.

Cameron slowly opened her eyes in time to see her attacker quickly shrinking into the shadows behind the trees. She felt groggy, and was in terrible pain. She could not see out of one eye, but she forced herself to slowly sit up, despite her body screaming in protest. Gingerly reaching around in the leaves, she located her underwear and pulled it on, trying to ignore the blood she could feel pouring from all over her body. She shrugged her blouse on over her arms, not bothering to find her bra. The pain was unbelievable and she knew she was close to passing out again, but managed to somehow find the strength to crawl out of the trees towards the parking lot.

***

Dr. House was carefully limping his way across the half-deserted lot towards his bike. Hands thrust deep into his pockets, he was deep in thought, still about the same person.

Reaching his bike, he began to pull out his helmet, but was surprised to see Cameron's car still there, despite the fact that she had left over an hour ago. "Cameron?" he called out into the darkness. He listened for a moment, then brushed off his thoughts and began to put on his helmet. But he suddenly stopped when he thought he heard a faint "help!" in the distance.

House paused for a second, then began to stride as quickly as he could over to a small clump of trees. He thought he could make out a pale, almost luminous figure, collapsed in the underbrush. His pace increased and his heart rate rose as a cold dread gripped his heart like a fist. "Cameron?" he called.

"Help," the figure whimpered, almost inaudibly, and then buckled to the ground. House reached her and gasped in shock: Cameron was almost completely naked, horrific bruising on her face and blood everywhere. House pulled out his phone and dialled the hospital.

"I need assistance in the parking lot _now_," he screamed into the phone. "I need a gurney and trauma team STAT." He knelt over Cameron, cradling her head in his hands. "Cameron! Wake up! Cameron! Cameron! Cameron...."


	3. Aftermath

_Author's Note:_ Hi guys, and thank you everyone for your complimentary and helpful reviews. A lot of you commented on the rapist calling Cameron fat, which I found interesting and helpful as insight to your opinions. I made him do that not because I think Cameron is fat in any way (obviously), but I have recently finished reading _Lucky_ by Alice Sebold, where I took some inspiration for this story as it is a memoir of the author being raped. In the book the rapist calls her fat and ugly, and generally insults her. Having never been raped I used this in my story to try and have the most realistic scene possible. You are probably right though, and I don't really know what the protocol is on this subject.

But anyway, thank you everyone for the reviews, I'm happy to see people are enjoying it! Please keep reading and reviewing!

***

The bright lights of the hospital shocked House as he hobbled as quickly as he could along with the trauma team towards the ER. He tried not to look at the body lying on the gurney, tried to pretend it was just another patient, and not _Cameron_...

The team of doctors wheeled her into the ER and proceeded to assess her head trauma and clean up her deep cuts and bruises. Cameron was still out for the count, and it was all House could do not to be physically sick on the floor from fear of her situation. Suddenly he couldn't take it anymore. "Why are you not _doing _anything you mindless bunch of idiots? Don't you know who this is?!"

The doctors looked scared, but carried on stitching up Cameron's wounds and testing her head. Cuddy and Wilson entered the room and each grabbed House by an arm. "Come on, let's go now," said Wilson soothingly. "She's going to be fine."

House turned to look at him. "No she's not going to be fine," he spat. "Do you not know what just happened? She was just viciously raped and beaten up. DOES THAT SOUND FINE TO YOU?"

Wilson backed off. Cuddy tried to calm House down. "House," she said. "We are all very upset by this. But you have to let the other doctors work on her. We need to let them help her."

"This happened in YOUR hospital!" House screamed at Cuddy. "Where was the security? How could you let this happen? HOW COULD YOU LET THIS HAPPEN?"

House looked like a young boy, scared and vulnerable. Cuddy and Wilson were both shocked; they had never seen him like this before. They gently directed him to a chair and then moved away to confer privately.

"My god, this is awful. But House – this is affecting him more than I could have predicted – I never would have imagined him to act like this..." Cuddy trailed off. She looked distraught. "It's all my fault. He's right, there isn't enough security, I don't even think we have cameras, we'll probably never catch the bastard..."

Wilson looked concerned. "It's not your fault, Lisa. This is terrible, but we have to concentrate now on making Cameron better. We'll need to get the police down here, and probably do a rape kit. Hopefully they'll catch him."

Cuddy still looked upset. "I know, but that's going to be so hard on her. I've seen this happen to rape victims before, they can't talk to the police about it, they're too traumatized to do a rape kit..."

Wilson interrupted her. "Cameron's not like that," he reassured her. "She's stronger than you would think. She'll fight through this."

***

Two hours later, the trauma team had finally stopped working on Cameron. Her cuts had been stitched up, but her head wounds were serious and she still hadn't woken up. The police had arrived, but they had to wait until she was awake before they could ask her anything. In the meantime they interviewed House.

"At what time did you find the woman?" an officer asked him.

"She's not just a damn _woman_," House spat. "Her name is Cameron. Dr. Allison Cameron."

The officer looked annoyed. "I know that. Fine. At what time did you find Dr. Cameron?"

House looked upset. "I don't know. Probably an hour and a half after she left... Around 8:30 or 9:00." He looked at the officer. "Did he rape her all that time? I'll kill the bastard, I really will..."

The officer consulted his notepad. "What was her condition when you found her?"

House glared at him. "Well it wasn't too fucking great, obviously," he said through gritted teeth. "She had just been raped and beaten up." He pictured her when he had found her. His voice softened. "She was half-lying in the underbrush, barely able to sit up. Her blouse was half-on and smeared with blood. She was bruised everywhere, and her underwear was bloody too. She collapsed when I reached her." He turned away.

Another police officer walked towards them. "Still no sign of the guy," he said. "We have retrieved her clothes and swabbed the area for samples." He held up two plastic bags containing Cameron's clothes. "I'm going to take these down to the lab. Call me if she wakes up, so we can do the interview and exam."

***

Four hours later House had not moved from his position on a chair a few steps from her room in all that time. He couldn't quite bear to be with her, to see her like that, but he definitely couldn't bear to be away from her. Chase and Foreman had already been to see her, looking like shocked little rabbits caught in a hunter's flashlight. But House didn't even care about them. He was too busy tearing himself apart inside about Cameron.

If only he had left when she left...they could have walked to the parking lot together...if he hadn't stayed to waste time...why didn't he go with her? Now Cameron had been raped, and was probably in terrible pain – physically, of course but mentally and emotionally...he couldn't even bear to think about it.

Suddenly there was a slight commotion from inside her room, with nurses jumping around and policemen entering. House sprang to his feet – something had happened. She had crashed, she was going into cardiac arrest, she was going to die...he was thinking these thoughts as he sprinted as best he could to her room.

He barrelled over to her bedside, only to see that she had opened her eyes and was staring groggily up at him. He reached down and grasped her hand in his gently but firmly. "Cameron," he whispered, softly and gently. "Cameron."

She looked confused, upset – in pain. He saw her make the effort to form words, the pain it caused her, the bewilderment in her eyes. "What...happened...," she finally managed to whisper.

This was too much, House couldn't bear it. How do you tell a woman she's just been raped and beaten and left for dead? But he didn't have to. Cameron read the look in his eyes and suddenly looked dazed as the memories came flooding back.


	4. Rejection

Cameron had consented to a rape kit, although she was still so drugged up she was barely aware of what was going on. Her eyes were half-closed as she was wheeled into an exam room for the procedure to be done. House could barely look at her.

It was decided that Cuddy would do the exam – if Cameron did wake up from her half-asleep state, it would probably comfort her to see someone familiar. House insisted on being there too - he would not let her out of his sight - but stayed respectfully to the side during the exam. He tried not to make it obvious, but everyone could see that he was wracked with guilt and would never let her be hurt again.

Cameron's face was gaunt and clammy with cold sweat – she literally looked like a zombie. Cuddy and the nurses went through the motions of the exam – they took a blood sample, then used the Woods lamp, a special ultraviolet light to make other bruises and samples like saliva and semen visible, carefully preserving any sample they found of the attacker. Cameron did not show any sign of registering what was going on, her eyes were blank and had no spark. Only when the nurses began to remove her gown for the more difficult part of the exam did Cameron wake up. Her eyes suddenly widened, and she broke out into a sweat. She drew in shallow panicking breaths, and started to scream. She screamed and screamed until Cuddy shook her, House immediately by her side.

"Cameron!" House and Cuddy both shouted, their hands on her shoulders.

Cameron's screams subsided, but the wild look in her eyes remained. She looked like a trapped fox in the headlights of a car, frozen and confused.

Cuddy spoke. "Cameron, we need you to lie still for the exam. It's very important that we do this, so we catch the guy who did this to you. But you have to be strong. You can do that for me, can't you?"

Cameron looked close to tears, and had begun shaking violently. "Please..." she whispered. "Please..."

Cuddy knelt next to her. "Yes, what is it?"

Cameron looked drained of all energy, Cuddy could see she was acting on an autopilot, a protection device to stop her feeling the pain. Cameron closed her eyes. "House..." she whispered.

Cuddy put her hand on Cameron's head. "Yes, House is here. You're safe. Can you see him?"

Cameron looked hysterical. "No!" she managed to cry. "No."

House put his face near hers. "I'm right here Cameron. You're gonna be okay. I promise. We just need to finish the exam."

Cameron shook her head, her hair damp with sweat. "No... Please... leave..." her voice faltered.

Cuddy looked at House. "Cameron, do you want House to leave?" Cameron nodded her head, eyes closed, heavy lines surrounding her bruised and beaten face. "Alright then. House?"

House looked confused and then angry, but limped out of the room without a word, or even a backward glance. Fine. If she didn't want him there, then she could get through this without him. If she didn't need him, he certainly wasn't going to bother helping her any more. He tried not to show it, but he was hurt, and it read in his eyes.

Cuddy put a cool hand on Cameron's forehead. "Cameron, are you sure you're okay? We can stop if you want to." Cameron shook her head weakly.

"No... go on...", she whispered. Cuddy began to gently proceed with the exam, making sure she told Cameron what was coming before she did it. Cameron did not show any sign of registering the painful procedures that a rape exam entailed, she was so out of it. Cuddy was concerned, but understood the importance of getting the exam done.

When the first part of the exam was over, Cuddy left Cameron in her room to rest for a while before the secondary follow-up. She gazed through the window at the sleeping form of Allison Cameron, and wondered if she was going to be alright in the end. She had suffered horrific injuries, many of which needed immediate medical care. She couldn't let her rest for too much longer, but she could see how drained Cameron was, and how upset. Cuddy wondered about why she had kicked House out of the room. She had thought that House would be a comfort to her – everyone in the whole hospital knew about Cameron's intense crush on Dr. House. But he was the last person she had wanted to see...

***

Cameron lay staring up at the ceiling, barely aware of her surroundings, and slightly astounded at her lack of pain. She was not at all like a human anymore, she was not a young woman, a brilliant doctor. She was nothing, she was reduced to lying in the dirt and dead leaves, being raped by a horrible man. Stupid bitch, fat and ugly bitch...that was all she was. Cameron felt no pain, yet she was horribly aware of what she was now, and what she would be for life now. Fat and ugly, fat and ugly, fat and ugly, stupid, stupid, stupid, bitch, bitch, bitch...

Cuddy rushed into the room when Cameron started screaming again. She gripped her hand and once again shouted in her face: "Cameron! Cameron! You're okay!" She located Cameron's eyes and held her gaze, shocked by the lack of light in them. "Allison", she said softly. "We need to finish your exam. You have some pretty bad internal injuries, and I'm going to need to take some stitches inside." Cameron looked blank again, but nodded her head. She couldn't feel a thing anymore.

***

House paced the corridors frantically, trying to work off some of the nervous energy he was harbouring, the anger and hurt he was trying to pretend he wasn't feeling. He was angry at whoever did this to Cameron, angry at the lack of security, angry at Cameron for not caring about him, but mostly angry at himself. If only he had been more careful with her...of course something like this could have happened. It was a dark parking lot, how could he have been so naive.... House was never one to admit he was wrong, but he would rather admit it a thousand times than have had something like this happen to Cameron.

A policeman approached House. House gave him a dirty look, and although the officer looked disgruntled he did not back away. "You were with the woman when she was found," he said, not as a question but more as an obvious statement. House did not even bother to correct him calling her a _woman_, or respond. The officer consulted his file. "Well, the exam was highly successful and we have managed to obtain many samples that will be useful in a trial. I have also heard that the woman's injuries are not too severe, but are still serious enough that she will require at least a few more nights in the hospital. My team is leaving now. Please when you see her will you remind her that we will be back in two days to complete the questioning."

House did not even look at the man, he did not shout that he was a fucking doctor for god's sake, and he knew more about the injuries than this idiot did. He was too numb. House wanted to find out how Cameron was really doing, but he was too afraid of being rejected by her again. He would wait until he heard back from Wilson... and meanwhile brood in his office.


	5. Dirty

A few hours later Cameron woke up again. Her room was quiet except for the relentlessly constant beeping of the machines monitoring her body. Cameron stared up at the ceiling, unable to comprehend her situation and what she had become. Raped... subject to a humiliating exam... House...

She couldn't stand how he had looked at her. To everyone, she could see that she had changed in their eyes. To Foreman and Chase, she was no longer a colleague and friend, she was a victim to be pitied, she was vulnerable. To Cuddy she was no longer a good doctor and valuable member of the hospital – she was just a patient, a rape victim, she was the object of sympathy. But to House... that was the worst. It hurt the most thinking about him. She couldn't stand him seeing her like that, she wanted him to think she was beautiful – heck, she just wanted him to love her. He could never do that when she was at her lowest and most humiliating point – and he was watching it all... She wanted him to love _her _and not feel obliged to be kind because of what had happened to her.

Suddenly Cameron was disgusted, revolted – she could feel _him_ on her, feel the rapist's hands on her body, his skin on her skin, his smell was her smell. She needed to get rid of him, she needed to be clean... Although she was weak, Cameron forced herself to ignore her pain and fatigue and slowly got out of bed. She hobbled over to the bathroom, gripping the wall as she went to avoid falling over. When she had entered the bathroom and gingerly pulled off her hospital gown, she turned towards the shower and was stunned by her reflection in the bathroom mirror. Cameron was disgusted – the sight of herself made her feel physically sick. She leaned over the toilet and threw up – and then made her way back over to the mirror to inspect herself again.

She looked at the mirror with an almost detached interest now, she was not even human anymore, just something to look at. Her face was black and blue, she had cuts everywhere, her eye was swollen, her hair a tangled mess. But no matter how repelled she was by the sight of herself, she just couldn't tear her eyes away from the mirror.

It wasn't until she looked down at her body that she suddenly abruptly felt him again – felt his presence on her body. With an instinctual urge, Cameron turned the shower on, twisting the tap as far as it would go so she could burn the man off her skin. She wanted to be clean, be herself – she wanted to sterilize herself of him.

Cameron slowly climbed into the shower and began to scrub away at herself, attacking her body with the hospital soap and scrubbing brush. She did this with such force that it tired her out, and she had to sit on the shower floor in order to prevent herself from falling over. But she had to finish getting him off of her... She wasn't aware of how much time had passed until she was on her third bar of soap and there was a tentative knock at the bathroom door.

Cameron froze, petrified. She opened her mouth to scream as the door slowly opened but no sound came out. "Cameron?" she heard someone call.

The shower curtain was tentatively pulled away by Cuddy, who looked shocked at the sight of Cameron half-sitting half-lying on the shower floor, her body rubbed raw by the soap and boiling water. Cuddy gently pulled a dazed Cameron to her feet and dried her off with a towel, helping her into a nightgown. "Cameron", she said. "Cameron, it's okay now. You're okay."

Suddenly there was a loud bang and the door was slammed open. "Cameron!" a gruff voice shouted, and House barged into the bathroom, only catching sight of the dazed Cameron a second later.

"Cameron...." he whispered softly.

Without thinking, he put his hand on her arm. A second later he regretted it, ready for her to push him away. But quite to the contrary, Cameron seemed to sink into him, almost fall on top of him. House was disturbed by what she had done to herself in the shower, but did not say anything as he was too busy gently half-carrying her to her bed, stroking her hair as they went. He did not mention her not wanting to see him before, he was only grateful she seemed to need him now, because he needed her too. He gently and quietly kept stroking her wet hair, one hand resting on her shoulder as he looked silently into her eyes.

They stayed like this for a few minutes, then House gently leaned over and gave her a small kiss on her forehead.

"Go to sleep," he whispered.

Cameron looked like a young child, afraid and alone. "I could feel him on me", she said hoarsely, closing her eyes. "I could feel his hands and his breath..."

"Cameron", he said quietly, understanding her fear of slipping away to the dark. "I promise that I will never let anyone hurt you ever again. No matter what happens, I will protect you."

Cameron was quickly falling asleep, but House was sure he had felt her relax at his kiss and words. He didn't know or understand her feelings for him, but it was undeniable that he calmed and comforted her. House watched her sleeping on the bed, peacefully and serenely, escaping the hell she was currently living in. He wished he could make that hell disappear forever; Cameron did not deserve to live like that. He vowed to keep his promise and protect her, even when she rejected his care.

House leaned over her to give her bruised forehead one last gentle kiss before retreating back to his office.


	6. Visiting

_Author's note: Hi everyone, and sorry about the gap between updates. I have currently been stranded in hell without a computer so haven't been able to write. But I'm back now, with an extra-long chapter! Thank you everyone for you kind and helpful reviews, please keep reading and giving feedback!_

"House."

House looked up to see Wilson standing in the doorway of his office, arms folded, looking concerned. House was sitting on a chair, head leaning on the wall with his eyes closed. He still couldn't get the image of Cameron out of his mind, but had sort of given up trying.

"What do you want, Wilson." House wasn't in the mood to pour out his soul to his part-time friend. Actually, he never much in the mood for soul-pouring.

"How's Cameron?"

"Why don't you go and just ask her yourself," House answered sarcastically. "I know you have trouble finding things in this big-boy hospital, but if you ask one of the nurses I'm sure they'll be happy to show you the way – if you haven't already divorced them, that is."

Wilson only shook his head, ignoring House's remark and stepping further into the office. "House, I know you. I know when something is affecting you more than you're saying. You know what? I think you're just too scared to go and see her again after she kicked you out. You want to go back in there but you are too afraid that she won't see, and you can't face that. But guess what. You need her and she needs you, and sitting here pretending not to care has never gotten you anywhere."

House looked annoyed. "Enough with your psycho-analysing crap, as interesting as your insightful theories about me are."

"Well", Wilson replied. "It's not as if you're winning any emotionally mature prizes."

"Wilson. Shut. Up."

Wilson looked mildly offended for a second, but then peered more closely at House. "Oh. Ohhh... you went to see her again. Just now. And..."

"No, she didn't kick me out. We ended up having wild sex, roasting marshmallows and swapping ghost stories."

Wilson once again ignored House's interjection. "So how did it go? What happened? Did you talk to her, is she doing better..."

House was silent for a moment, debating on whether to tell Wilson what had actually happened. "Well," he started, "she had gotten into the shower, sat on the floor, and scrubbed and scalded herself half to death when Cuddy and I reached her. Well, actually Cuddy had gotten there first, but I took over and put her back to bed. And then we all lived happily ever after. The end.

Wilson paused before speaking. "Why was she..." he started.

House didn't let him finish. "She said she could feel her hands on him. She needed to clean herself."

Wilson looked shaken. "And she let you touch her? She didn't kick you out again? What..."

Again House interrupted. "I don't know. I guess it was different then. I still don't know whether she actually needed me just now or whether it was just because I was there and she didn't really know who I was or what was going on."

Wilson didn't hesitate this time. "So why are you still here?"

"She's sleeping. Generally women don't communicate so well in that state." House didn't look at Wilson.

"I can tell that you last saw her a few hours ago. That means that she could have woken up by now. But you're not at her bedside because you're still afraid? Or you don't want to seem too caring?"

House didn't answer. He just stared at the wall.

"Look, House," Wilson said. "You have two choices. You can either keep sitting here hiding from admitting the fact that you care, or you can admit that you care and go sit with her. But you need to understand that no-one cares about you or what you do. So if it's pride in the way, go squash it. People don't take that much of an interest in your happenings. If it's fear, that means you care anyway, so you might as well find out."

Wilson turned and left the office, leaving House frozen in his chair. Wilson walked away, but paused a little way down the hall, smiling secretly to himself when House walked out of his office in the direction of Cameron's room.

***

Wilson was right, Cameron _had _woken up. House could see her talking quietly to Foreman and Chase, he could see even a smile break out from behind her fading bruises. She stayed well under the blankets though, so her angry red scald marks could not be seen. House was unsure of whether it was to avoid painful memories, or embarrassment. He stood hovering at the door, peering in through the half-closed curtains, hesitating. He couldn't bring himself to go in, but he couldn't bring himself to leave either.

Foreman turned and noticed House standing at the doorway, and did his trademark single eyebrow raise as if to ask him: Well? You coming in or not? House didn't reply to this silent question, he only continued to watch the scene in front of him. Chase was doing some kind of impression, and House was both happy and angry that Cameron seemed to be laughing at him.

House didn't even decide what he was going to do, but just automatically walked into the room, making an entrance as usual with a loud bang of the door.

"Hello, you're favourite doctor is back in town! Please feel free to applaud and lick my boots!"

House was pleased to see Cameron give a slight smirk and roll her eyes. Foreman and Chase just looked at him.

"So, how are you doing?" House asked Cameron, a little more quietly. Foreman gave Chase a knowing look.

"Um, I think we have to, uh, go and check on that guy in 217. Heard he ate too much jello at lunch, you know how lethal that, uh, strawberry can be." Foreman started for the door. "Come _on_ Chase," he muttered.

"Oh, yeah, that's right," Chase said. "That jello..." he hurried out of the room.

Cameron laughed quietly at them. House looked at her, surprised. "What's so funny?"

Cameron suddenly looked a little flustered. "Oh, um, I don't know, it's just..."

House wasn't listening. He leaned closer to her and rested his hand gently on her hair. "Seriously, how are you? Yesterday..."

Cameron didn't let him finish. "Yeah. About that. I was just really tired, it was the meds or something, seriously, don't think of me like that, I'm not some emotional wreck or anything, it's fine, I can leave tomorrow, I'll be back at work on Monday..."

"Cameron, stop." House was confused and concerned. Why was she denying her pain? She obviously had been seriously hurt, and it had obviously affected her enough that she felt the need to peel her skin off. Why was she pretending now? "What's going on?" He tried to loosen the sheets imprisoning her like a mummy, only to be met by her wildly squirming away.

"Stop! What are you doing!" she shouted, her eyes petrified.

"I'm just checking on your skin, after last night, it's probably still pretty sore. It's usually a side effect of trying to peel it off. " House was confused. He thought she would like his sympathy – whatever happened to those feelings she so famously had for him? Or had he only been wistfully been imagining those? No – _she _was the one who had expressed feelings, everyone knew that. So what had changed? He didn't know what to think.

"No!" Cameron shouted. "Don't touch me! Nothing happened last night, I just took a shower and got a little tired. It's fine."

House gently put his hand on her hair. "Cameron, it's me. What's going on?"

Cameron closed her eyes. "I know it's you, it's because it's you," she muttered almost inaudibly.

"What?" House leaned closer, trying to catch her last words. "What did you say?"

Cameron looked towards him. "I think you should go now," she said quietly. Her eyes didn't meet his.

House's jaw muscle clenched, but he didn't say anything. Cameron rolled over slightly, her body blocking any view he had had of her face. Her body was still hidden by the blankets, and she made sure that House couldn't see any of her skin. She watched House limp out of her room, closing her door with a frustrated bang. She closed her eyes, feeling the almost constantly present tears begin to well up behind them. She couldn't let him comfort her even though she was hurting, even though she needed him. She knew if she did he would only all too soon hurt her even more.

***

Cuddy caught House in the hallway. "How is she? I heard you went to go see her again..." she paused, realising he wasn't supposed to know that. "I mean, I saw you coming out of her room..."

House almost snarled. "Wilson," he muttered. "Well, you'll be happy to know that she doesn't like me anymore. I think you should get a psychiatrist to check her out or something. Obviously we have some serious bi-polar stuff going on... not that she wasn't weird before it happened. But you would know that, considering your '_secret_,'" he winked pointedly "lesbian relationship. Don't try and deny it."

Cuddy was a little taken aback. "Maybe she was just tired and didn't want any more..." House cut her off.

"No she _wasn't_ tired, she just didn't want to see me. Because believe it or not, not everyone wants to get in my pants _quite_ as much as you do. But hey, while you're analysing her mood, why not go back to the tired thing. What was it she said? Oh yeah, she said that the reason she scalded her skin off was because she was TIRED!" House was shouting by this point, and attracting some strange looks from the waiting families. Before Cuddy could respond to his outburst, he had turned to the people and begun to address them.

"Sick people and stupid waiting people," he shouted. "No, wait, let me re-iterate. Stupid and lying people who are and aren't sick. This woman right here is a classic example of the types of people who frequent these hospitals trying to be completely annoying. I mean, I know I'm incredibly sexy and yes, I have been approached by television companies asking to make a T.V. series about me, but for the thousandth-millionth-trillionth time, Cuddy, I WILL NOT SLEEP WITH YOU!"

House turned, leaving everyone shocked and momentarily mute staring after him, none more so than Cuddy, who was just starting to get that angry glint in her eye. "Better get out while you can," he muttered to himself, trying to make as fast a retreat as possible to somewhere he could hide before Cuddy got over her momentary astonishment. He cursed when he felt her grab his arm a few seconds later. "Damn leg!" he said. "You couldn't give me a break, just once, to escape this insane woman..."

Cuddy glared at him. "Don't think I can't see straight through your sarcasm and tendency to try and embarrass me when you want to get away from somewhere. Just because you won't admit you're worried about her, that is not an excuse to try and kill everyone who is."

House narrowed his eyes. "You think I'm worried? Why would I be worried about someone who is obviously fine, who is obviously completely in-tune with her pain and understands how to deal with it? Isn't that something you're always trying to tell me to do? Sorry, but I have enough worrying about myself to do."

"I'm sure you do!" Cuddy hissed angrily. "We all know how much time you need to spend feeling sorry for yourself. But just for once, maybe you could just admit when you actually feel bad for another human being. Maybe instead of acting like the ass you always are, you can admit your feelings for her and stop screwing with everyone else! Cameron's in _pain_, more pain than she will admit, but she's refused to see a psychiatrist, and she's insisting that she's fine! If that doesn't worry you, then you're even more of a heartless bastard than I thought you were."

"Right. So just because she's Cameron, you're going to insist that she can't deal with her feelings? Maybe she's not _actually _in pain anymore! Maybe she really is feeling better! She has no reason to pretend she's not in pain, she just got raped for god's sake!"

Cuddy looked at him, almost pityingly. "You know, House, for all you're talk about being so insightful into people, you really are missing a whole heck of a lot here." And with that, she stalked off, leaving House, alone and momentarily speechless in her wake.


	7. Pretending

House was perplexed, disoriented, in pain – he had quickly strode away from Cuddy after their exchange without so much as a witty retort. Nothing came to him, and he didn't know why.

He sighed. Cameron was getting to him. He couldn't figure her out, he couldn't make himself admit that he _wanted _to figure her out. House leaned back in his chair, turning on his iPod and thumped his cane in time to the music. His answers would eventually come.

***

"House".

Foreman stood in the doorway of his office, holding a file up. "We have a patient. 43 year old male, struck his head and is suffering from aphasia." Foreman paused, glancing at House. "House. Hello, anybody home?"

House looked at Foreman. "Sorry, I was trying to pretend you weren't here. I wanted to see if I wished hard enough for something it would come true, but it doesn't. Guess we should go tell old Walt Disney..."

Foreman rolled his eyes, and threw the file on House's desk. "House, I know you're upset about Cameron, but that doesn't mean you don't have to work. Well, you don't work anyway, but that's not the point. The point is..."

"You're really annoying?" House quipped. "Yeah, familiar with that one. I'm sure the couple whose car you stole thinks that too."

Foreman was starting to get annoyed. "House, for god's sake. Just read the damn file and do your job." House gave him a penetrating stare before Foreman turned and strode out of the office.

House picked up the file, glancing over it before rejecting it with the other pointless cases that had been delivered to him. He could see everyone trying to distract him, but he didn't actually care! He just wanted things back to normal. He just wanted Cameron back.

Suddenly struck by a thought, House cocked his head to the side and picked the file back up. Aphasia presenting after a relatively minor fall... CT scans had revealed nothing. If the fall had been hard enough to cause the aphasia there would have been at least some small damage. So maybe the fall hadn't caused the aphasia... maybe something had caused the fall and the aphasia.

House jumped up from his desk, striding into the conference room where Chase was doing a crossword at the table. "Hey, mate," House yelled. "Go take a patient history, and set up a contrast MRI for-" House checked the file - "Joe. Go on, get that lazy ass moving. Can't all sit around doing nothing." He smirked and sat down, pulling out his gameboy as the young doctor left the room.

After completing the level, House stood at the whiteboard, writing up the symptoms and pondering them for a moment further. Momentarily struck by something, he suddenly left the room, striding down the hallway towards the patient's room. Before he even realised it, he was standing outside Cameron's room – or what had _used_ to be Cameron's room. It was empty.

He turned, and spotted a nearby nurse. "Hey!" he called loudly. "Where's Dr. Cameron gone?"

"She's gone home," the nurse replied, keeping a measurable difference between herself and House.

House looked ready to kill. "_Why_ has she gone home you useless muppet?" he snarled. "Are you unaware that Dr. Cameron was not in any condition - "

"Ok, House, leave this poor girl alone," Dr. Cuddy said, pulling House away from the terrified blonde.

"How many times do I need to say it, Cuddy?" House blanched. "You're not a real doctor, how could you send her home when she's obviously not better yet?" Cuddy had barely ever seen him so furious.

"House, she was due to go home. He stitches are healing well, they're due to come out tomorrow, and her bruises have almost completely faded. We couldn't keep her here any longer, and she didn't _want _to stay here any longer!"

"Well OF COURSE NOT!" House shouted. "She's not going to whimper pathetically, Cameron's going to pretend it's all fine. But she's not, how could you be so retarded?"

Cuddy glared at him. "I don't want a repeat of our earlier conversation, House. Cameron is physically fine, and I cannot keep her in the hospital any longer. I have given her a leave of two weeks, so she can have time to recover personally." Cuddy paused, looking at House almost compassionately. "House, I know it's hard, but you have to give her time to deal with it in her own way. Everybody's different."

House glared at her. "Yeah, but not everybody's as stupid as you are." He abruptly retreated to his office, momentarily forgetting the patient and why he had left in the first place.

***

Chase was drawing some blood from the still unconscious man when Foreman entered. "Hey," Foreman said. "What's up?"

Chase looked up. "Patient history revealed nothing, I still need to get these samples off to the lab before we talk to House again."

Foreman crossed his arms, walking closer to Chase. "Have you heard about Cameron? She's gone home."

Chase looked taken aback. "Is she ready for that? When we visited her, she still seemed pretty shaken up, I mean, I could barely see her injuries but..."

"Yeah, that's what I thought too." Foreman looked concerned. "Well, I suppose we don't really need to worry too much. Any problems she has, I'm sure House will worry enough for both of us put together. She'll be fine."

Chase smirked. "Yeah, he'll make her feel better. His kindliness and cuddliness are just what a girl who was attacked needs."

Foreman shrugged. "I don't know why, but it seems that that's probably what Cameron is going to need now. And I don't know why, but I have a feeling that he's going to give it to her."

Chase raised his eyebrows. "House? You really think he cares enough for her?"

Foreman shrugged again. "He's been even more irritable than usual lately, he practically bit Cuddy's head off when she suggested he cared about Cameron, and he has actually visited her more than once. I'd say the feeling was there. I just don't know whether he'll act the way most people would..."

"And that concludes our self-help seminar for today." Foreman and Chase's heads snapped up as Dr. House walked into the room, bearing the patient's file. They couldn't guess how much he had heard, but they knew it was something.

"What are you morons doing? Why aren't you scanning his heart?"

Foreman and Chase looked at each other. "His heart? He has aphasia, not a heart condition..." Chase stated.

House rolled his eyes. "God, and I wonder if Cuddy made me hire you just to add to my ego. You morons, just do it. You'll see."

Chase and Foreman left to schedule an exam. House was left with the unconscious man. "So, Joe, what do you think I should do?" House waited for an answer. "Nothing? Well, if we all did nothing, the world would stop spinning, don't you think?"

House sighed and went back to his office, grabbing his coat and bag. He was going home. He had had enough of patients and people. He needed a good night's sleep. Actually he needed a good night and day and another night's sleep.

***

House strode into the conference room two days later, refreshed and ready to see what his ducklings had for him. He had pushed Cameron to the back of his mind, where he hoped she would stay for a while.

"What've we got, my little rays of sunshine?" he asked, tossing his bag onto a chair.

"His aphasia has gotten worse. But you were right about his heart, how did you know? Scans showed four masses on the left atrium."

"Because aphasia is commonly a result of..." House paused dramatically, "a broken heart."

Chase and Foreman crossed their arms. "Oh, come on," House snarked. "Use your brains."

"Acute onset Wilson's disease," a familiar voice answered, striding into the room. Cameron was back.

"Cameron?" Foreman and Chase had both gotten to their feet. "What are you doing back? Cuddy said you had two weeks, don't you want the time..."

"I'm fine." Cameron's eyes flashed dangerously as she uttered these words. "I'm fine." She looked directly at House, daring him to disagree.

House walked towards her. "Cameron..." he said gently. "Go home. You need the rest. You can come back next week."

Cameron glared at him. "_I'm. Fine_," she said, through gritted teeth. "Now, can we leave me alone and go back to the patient?"

House gave her one more stare, noticing her still present bruises, despite their fast healing. He decided to let it go. She had obviously pulled through this faster than they had thought she would. Maybe it was best to just let it go.

"Yes, now, where were we?" House said, turning back to the board. "Ah, yes, I was right. As per usual."

Cameron smirked, sitting in a chair and facing the board. To Foreman and Chase, it seemed that she had indeed made a remarkable recovery. They didn't notice her slight sigh and she pulled the file towards her, or the small tremble in her hand as she undid the buttons of her jacket.

Cameron was not fine, but she tried to hide it, tried not think about the last hellish week she had gone through. She pushed it to the back of her mind, and she did not think about how she had had to ask a nurse to walk her through the parking lot to her car, and how she had spent a whole day curled up on the sofa, every single lock done up on her door, clutching a baseball bat in fear of an intruder. She did not think about how she had felt dirty and disgusting still, and ashamed and embarrassed by what had happened, despite knowing that it wasn't her fault. She did not think about how every night she was haunted by the same dreams. She did not think anyone noticed her slight detachment, after all, she tried not to think at all.

But someone did. And that someone was not convinced that she was fine. No, he thought the exact opposite, taking careful note of her unfocused gaze out the window, and the worry lines creased across her brow. He was convinced that she was still hiding her pain. And he knew that it would have to surface sometime. He was worried about her. He was scared.

_Hi guys, sorry it's been a while! What does everyone think? Anything you do/don't like? Anything you want me to put in? Any directions you want me to take it in? Please give me some feedback, or just tell me you are reading the story! Thank you to everyone who has reviewed so far, it really brightens up my day, good or bad. So anyway, please keep enjoying and reviewing! I will post a new update soon._

Hoseu


	8. Falling

_Two weeks later_

Cameron had been battling these last two weeks to keep up her facade of everything being fine, and it seemed that she had almost completely convinced everyone, including herself. She made sure she was attentive and always smiling, and for the most part it seemed that people accepted that she had just healed very quickly, partly because that was what they wanted to believe.

***

The three ducklings were idly sitting around their table, working on and reading various items. House was, as usual, shut up in his office playing on his gameboy, waiting for General Hospital to start at 12:00.

"Nine letters, iodine deficiency in children?" Chase asked, puzzling over his crossword.

"Cretinism," Cameron answered automatically, not even bothering to look up from the medical journal she was pretending to read.

Chase paused, thinking. "Huh," he said, filling in the space. "Thanks."

A few minutes later Cameron stood up abruptly, restless after all this time she had wasted doing nothing. "I'm going to go and see if they need any help in the ER. See you guys later."

Foreman and Chase gave absent grunts as she exited the room, barely registering her departure.

Cameron strode purposefully down the hallway towards the elevator to get to the ER. She was sick of being to helpless. She was a good doctor, and now it was time to actually help some sick people. She could never be like House, she quietly reflected, because she could never purposefully avoid trying to help people on a daily basis. Maybe it was for the best things never worked out between them. Maybe they really were just too different. And anyway for now, after what had happened, she just wanted to stay single and free for a little while.

As she stepped into the incoming elevator she pressed the button for the ground floor, where the ER was located, alone until Wilson obstructed the doors and joined her.

"How's it going, Cameron?" he asked her in as friendly a manner as possible.

Cameron knew he was subtly testing her, trying to see if she was _actually _doing better. She tried to seem as genuinely happy as possible. "I'm good, Dr. Wilson. How are you?"

"Good, good. A lot of work, a lot of patients."

Cameron sighed. "I almost wish I could say the same. We haven't had a case in a while."

Wilson gave a small chuckle. "Well, I'm sure that's suited House."

Cameron smiled ruefully. "Yes, he certainly hasn't been complaining."

The doors opened and they both got out of the elevator. "Well, Cameron, I'm glad to see your feeling better," Wilson said tactfully. "But seriously, if you ever need to talk, my door is always open."

Cameron made sure that smile was plastered on her face. "Oh, don't worry Dr. Wilson, I'm totally fine," she replied over her shoulder as she stepped through the swinging doors of the ER.

***

After two hours of dealing with the various trauma cases that had been brought in, Cameron felt tired but much more satisfied and happy. There was something comforting about the ER – it didn't have the same thrill as the cases they normally got, but she felt safe and secure working there. It was a nice change once in a while. She was getting ready to wrap up and go back to the diagnostic office to see if there was anything new going on there when the ambulance crew rushed in with the latest trauma victim.

"Twenty-two year old female, suffered serious wounds to the abdominal area, ribs, head, and multiple bruises and lacerations all over the body!" the ambulance crewman shouted. "We haven't had time to do a full check, we were concerned about the head injury and wanted to get her here as soon as possible."

Cameron rushed over to the crew and the young woman who was being wheeled in on a stretcher. She had been severely beaten and was in bad shape with bruising all over her face.

"I'll do a quick body check, someone get me a neurologist for a consult on the head injuries," Cameron shouted.

Cameron leaned over the unconscious woman, helping the trauma team lift her onto the bed and hook her up to the monitors. She began to take off the girl's torn and battered clothing and put her in a hospital gown. As she did so, she gasped.

The girl's jeans and underwear were soaked in blood. She had heavy bruises and finger marks all over her hips and below. Cameron froze, understanding what had happened to this girl.

The other doctors assisting Cameron paused too, watching her to see what the matter was.

"Dr. Cameron, is there a problem?"

Cameron slowly tried to unclench. "No. no. This girl, she's been..."

The other doctor approached. "Rape victim here, internal trauma and other wounds. Has the neurologist arrived yet? We need to know what to do about those head wounds."

As she finished her sentence, Foreman came rushing over to the scene. "I was paged that you needed a neuro consult," he said to Cameron. "This the victim?"

He leaned over the woman's head, not noticing Cameron's face. "Head trauma looks minimal, she's just lost a lot of blood. We'll need some donor blood over here, but the trauma isn't as bad as it looks. When she wakes up make sure to page me again so I can monitor her nerve function and make sure there isn't a major concussion or anything. For now you can start to clean her up otherwise."

The other doctors nodded and began to go back to assessing her other wounds. Foreman looked at the woman properly for the first time.

"Dr. Christie, this woman's been..." he started.

"Yes, she has been brutally raped and beaten, we know that Dr. Foreman. Thank you for your consult, but we have a lot to do. As soon as she wakes up we'll page you, but we'll also be needing to ask her about a rape kit and exam too."

Foreman wasn't listening, he was too busy looking at Cameron's frozen body, seeing the colour drain out of her face rapidly. "Cameron," he said.

Cameron didn't answer, she looked like a ghost.

"Cameron!" he shouted, starting around the bed towards her.

But he was too late. Cameron had collapsed on the floor next to the woman's bed, their bodies perfect mirrors of each other.

_As always, reviews are much appreciated! ___


	9. Question

_First off, I would like to say thank you to all of my wonderful reviewers, but in particular AllyCameron and ShipperCrazed-FanFicCrazy for their frequent, helpful and wonderful reviews which really made me happy. Thanks guys... ___

_And now, without further ado, we continue..._

With the blinds blocking out all sunlight to the office, House had completely lost track of whether it was night or day. The only thing he was concentrating on was getting onto the next level of Super Mario Kart. If he only could finally get past that giant mushroom...

He was suddenly rudely interrupted by Cuddy, who had barged into his office. "Oh, for god's sake, what could you possibly want now? I haven't been doing anything illegal, now that Cameron's back my paperwork's in order - "

Cuddy cut him off, breathing heavily after her sprint to his office. "House, it looks like Cameron came back too soon. A rape victim was admitted to the ER – it looks like it was the same man. She collapsed and is still unconscious..."

But House had already sprung up from his chair, pushing past Cuddy and sprinting as best he could towards the ER before she could finish speaking. He only had one thought in his head and that was Cameron...

When he arrived he immediately saw her, lying in a bed with Foreman and Chase standing by her side, looks of concern and worry etched on their tired faces. He could also see a policeman not too far away as he quietly approached her bedside. "Cameron?" he said softly.

Foreman and Chase turned towards him. "House," Foreman said. "How did you get here so fast...?"

"Is she alright? What did you do to her? Why is she lying in a hospital bed _unconscious_?" House demanded angrily.

"She was here when a rape victim was emitted – it looks like it was the same man. She collapsed when she realised – I was right here, I should have seen she was upset, I should have noticed..." Foreman was visibly distressed and guilty, and had a note of panic in his voice.

House looked down at Cameron, repressing his urge to lie down next to her and stroke her silky brown hair. Cameron... he couldn't believe this was happening to her.

The policeman House had noticed earlier came up to them. "I'm Detective Rogers. I've been investigating the series of rapes that have been occurring in this area, and I understand that a woman was just admitted to this hospital, and that Dr. Cameron here was also a victim. Now we didn't get around to finishing our questioning last time we were here, but in light of recent events we have made these cases a priority. When she wakes up please call me and we will have to question her and the other victim in thorough detail." The detective left, making way towards the other woman who was in a nearby bed.

House stared after him. "He can't question Cameron when she's in this state, she'll have only just woken up, she's too fragile and upset..."

"He can and he will." Foreman said. "These detectives aren't too big on the personal feelings – sort of like you, House. Maybe this will teach you to be more sensitive in the future."

House ignored Foreman however; instead he was looking down at Cameron who was beginning to stir. "Cameron!" he said.

She opened her eyes to see the three men standing over her bedside. "What..." she started. Chase cut her off.

"You fainted after that patient came in. You're stable, don't worry. Cameron, we told you it was too soon after – too soon after what happened to come back to work, you weren't ready..."

Cameron looked panicked. "That – that woman. Is she alright?"

Foreman answered her. "Yes, she's going to be fine, her vitals are stable and she should wake up soon. But our main concern is _you,_ Cameron, you really need to see a counsellor or something..."

He was interrupted by Cuddy, who had strode in and gone straight to Cameron's bedside. "Cameron, how are you feeling? You know I told you that you didn't have to come back to work if it was going to be too much too soon..."

But Cameron wasn't listening to any of them. "That woman – she was... I mean it was the same man?"

Foreman looked pained. "Yes, that's what the detectives think. They said that they needed to ask you more questions, is that okay?"

Cameron had sunk back into her pillow, pain evident in her eyes. House had still not spoken in all this time – but now Cameron met his gaze with hers and their connection was worth more than any words.

"I'll stay with you." House said quietly to her.

Cameron looked at him, fear clouding her vision. She didn't know whether or not to trust him – she knew how he could so easily turn around and hurt her even worse. But she wanted to.

"Okay," she whispered.

Cuddy, Chase and Foreman gave each other knowing looks and backed off to do other things in the hospital, leaving Cameron and House alone. House didn't say anything else to her, he just sat in a chair next to her bedside, his hand resting next to hers, their skin barely touching.

The detective strode back over to them, pad of paper and pencil in hand. "Alright, I'm going to have to ask you a few questions, Dr. Cameron."

Cameron nodded her head slowly. House leaned instinctively closer to her, a silent protector.

"At what time did you leave the hospital and go to the parking lot?"

Cameron closed her eyes slowly, trying to remember. "It was – sometime between... 8:45 and 9:00." She looked at House, reminding herself that he was there. He moved his hand closer toward hers.

"Can you describe what happened next? I understand this might be difficult for you, but it's very important," the detective said.

Cameron took a deep breath, collecting her thoughts, trying to fight down the wave of nausea that came whenever she thought about that night. "I was walking to my car – it was dark. I thought I saw someone, but I brushed it off." She paused, like a runner trying to catch their breath. "He – he grabbed me from behind. He had a knife. He put it on my face – near my throat." She was in danger of crying again, but she tried to hold the tears back. She wanted to be strong. She didn't want him to feel like he had to be there, like he _should_ be there because she worked for him and she was upset. She wanted him to be there for _her_, not for her tears.

"He threatened me, he said that if I didn't do what he said he would – he would kill me." Cameron paused again, taking a deep breath to stop the hot tears building up behind her eyes.

House could see she was getting dangerously close to hyperventilating again, and wanted to scream at the detective to let her stop, but he was afraid if he did that would push her over the edge. Maybe it was better for her to talk about it now so she could finally put it behind her. But he found it almost impossible to let her go on with this pain. He – he – he what? What did he feel?

Cameron continued. "He dragged me behind those trees and pulled off my clothes, and tried to kiss me, and then he pulled off my bra and was grabbing at my breasts, and then he was pulling at my underwear and putting his hand on me..." her breathing was coming very fast now. House closed his eyes in horror. He couldn't imagine this happening to Cameron, he couldn't believe this had happened to his girl, he'd kill the bastard, he really would...

The detective waited until her breathing had slowed down again. "Then what happened?" he asked her gently.

Cameron's voice was almost inaudible. "He – he pulled down his pants, and – and that's when he raped me. I think I passed out from the pain – when I woke up he was leaving and that's when House..." she was cut off by her own sob. The detective stood up.

"Thank you very much, Dr. Cameron. I'm so sorry for what happened, but we're going to do everything in our power to catch this man. We'll call you if we hear anything else." He turned and left her bedside.

Cameron was crying quietly now, yet still trying to control her sobs. House leaned over her and gently cradled her head in his arm. "Shhh..." he said comfortingly. "It's okay now, you're safe, shhhh..."

Cameron tried not to let herself think about what was happening, because she knew if she did her mind would tell her to push him away to preserve herself. But her mind had shut down and now it was only her body running, and her body craved House's warm embrace.

After they had been sitting like that for a little while House spoke. "Cameron, I'm going to drive you to my place. You shouldn't be alone. You can stay with me for a few days until you're feeling better."

Cameron's mind was awake now. "No," she said calmly yet firmly.

House was taken aback. "What? No, Cameron, you can't go home by yourself like this..."

"Yes I can, and I will."

"No, you can't and you won't. I won't let you. Imagine if something happened, I could never live with myself..."

"You can't! I won't let you hurt me again... No! No! Please, take me home, let me go home, I want to go home..."

Cuddy came rushing over as soon as she heard Cameron's shouts. "What's happened?" she asked, panicking.

House moved away from Cameron's bed before answering. "Cameron's upset. I think she shouldn't be alone, I said she can stay at my place for tonight, to make sure she's safe. Is that okay with you, _mom_?"

Cuddy was surprised. "_You_ offered Cameron a bed in your apartment? You would actually do something selfless for another human being?"

House rolled his eyes."I don't see why you find that so difficult to conceive. I do it every day, don't I? Spending my whole day making sick people better – that sure sounds pretty selfless to me..."

"Well, that you would actually _willingly_ do something selfless for another human being? Don't get me wrong, I'm not complaining but..."

"This is Cameron." House said sharply, and his tone suggested there was no further discussion. Those three words were enough to convince Cuddy that he cared about Cameron. That he loved her.

She made sure she didn't have a reaction – he probably didn't even understand his own feelings yet, she mused. Best not scare him off. "Alright, I'll talk to her," she said.

Cuddy walked back over to Cameron. "Cameron, why don't you stay with House for tonight? It's probably better if you're not alone."

Cameron sighed, then - despite her mind screaming in protest – she accepted the offer. She would stay with House tonight.


	10. Silence

It was dark outside, and it had definitely gotten colder. Winter had fully arrived – the wind was piercing, and Cameron bit down on the collar of her coat due to the cold. It had gotten dark, but she tried not to look at House as they walked silently to the parking lot, their feet crunching over the ice. She was trying to block out all thoughts – it was hard enough going through this parking lot as it was, but with what had just happened....

She stopped, her breathing coming faster now, her mind awhirl with images and memories. Her hands were clenched into fists, her nails digging into her palms, her eyes wide. She felt herself start to hyperventilate – until strong arms wrapped around her body and squeezed her gently. For a second she tensed, ready to scream, thinking the worst – but then realized it was House, and that he was holding her. He was protecting her.

Her breathing slowed, and without a word they walked the rest of the way to House's car. He unlocked the doors and they got in, setting off immediately. House stole a quick glance at Cameron and saw that her gaze was fixed directly in front of her, staring blankly into space. He was worried, but decided that the best thing to do would be to get her home and warm as soon as he could.

Driving through the night, each wrapped in their own thoughts, they were both thinking about each other. Cameron did not move throughout the entire journey, instead kept completely still in an effort to keep control. She didn't want to lose control – she didn't want House to have to keep comforting her. House didn't like people like that – he liked strong people, he like people who could brush their emotions aside like they didn't matter. She didn't want him to be nice to her just because of – of what had happened. So no matter how much she wanted it, or how upset she felt, nothing was going to happen tonight. Nothing at all.

After arriving at House's apartment, they got out of the car and House unlocked the door, ushering Cameron in gently. She pulled off her coat gingerly as if she didn't know what to do with it, so House took it from her and laid it over a chair.

They still hadn't said a single thing to each other since the hospital.

They looked at each other, just standing there, for what seemed like the longest time. Eventually House broke the silence.

"You can sleep on the couch – I'll give you some extra blankets and a pillow and stuff. Umm..." he trailed off, not knowing what else to tell her.

Cameron nodded and walked over to the couch and perched on the edge of it, looking completely out of place, a blank stare still resting on her face.

House turned and retrieved some blankets from a small closet, walking back to Cameron and placing them beside her.

"Um... do you want anything else? The bathroom's there, and ummm... that's about it."

Cameron nodded again, not looking at House. He coughed awkwardly.

"Goodnight, Cameron," he said, gently, and walked into his bedroom, shutting the door behind him.

_Sorry for the majorly short (and excruciatingly unresolved) chapter, but don't worry, there will be a new update soon – this night is far from over, and there's more to come! Just a little teaser... But I've updated my other story too, Simple Answers, so you can check that one out too._

_Thanks for reviewing 3_


	11. Moments

_Thank you to everyone who has read and reviewed this story so far, you guys have been amazing! I'm sorry for the long wait, my computer's been extremely irritating and I haven't been able to access any of my files until now... anyway please enjoy this chapter. There is a lot of smut, so if you don't like that type of thing read about half and then stop. ___

_Enjoy!_

Of course he wasn't sleeping. Of course he was lying silently in the dark, straining to hear any sound from the room next door where Cameron, yes _Cameron_, was sleeping. He could hardly believe that she was in his house – sleeping on his couch – but he couldn't say that he was upset about that at all. No, although he wished – with all his heart – that the circumstances had been different, he still felt something, a warm, almost aching feeling in the core of him when he thought about the beautiful woman sleeping only a few feet away.

Despite it going against all his natural instincts of avoiding and hurting people, this was different. He wanted nothing more than to go in there and stroke her hair, hugging her tightly to him, whispering that it would be all right. That everything would be all right.

But he knew he could never do that.

*

Cameron was awake, and she too could barely believe where she was. It was almost ironic, she though ruefully to herself. Before – before it happened - the only scenario she could have pictured herself staying at over at House's apartment was – well, things would have been different anyway.

But life never quite goes the way we picture it.

These were Cameron's thoughts as she slipped slowly into a murky world of dreams.

*

He could hear her breathing coming faster, and the groans of fear uttered from her lips. He wondered at what point he would be _obligated_ to go and check on her – was that what he was supposed to do? Not that there really was an etiquette for when a woman whom you don't really have a relationship is staying on your couch because she's been raped and can't bear to go home alone. House was perfectly still – just listening, agonizing over what to do. He pictured himself going over to wake her up from her nightmare – it wasn't him, but the idea didn't repulse him like he might have thought. Actually, it felt almost like his heart was flooded with warmth.

He slowly got up, wincing from the stabbing pain in his leg, forcing him to momentarily stop and clutch his thigh, massaging it gently. As the pain began to fade, he reached onto his night table and grabbed his Vicodin bottle, popping two for good measure. He was going to need it.

*

House slowly fumbled in the darkness out of his bedroom towards the couch where Cameron was sleeping. The whitish glow of the moonlight illuminated her face, which looked unnaturally pale and distressed even in sleep. Lines creased her forehead, and her breathing was erratic. House moved closer to her until he was standing right next to the couch, uncertain of what to do next.

Before he could do anything, though, Cameron shifted in her sleep and opened her eyes, catching sight of what was probably an extremely frightening House standing over her. Seeing her eyes widen momentarily with fear, House reached out his hand to her cheek and gently caressed it, reassuring her that everything was alright. He gingerly sat on the edge of the sofa, trying not to hurt Cameron or his leg, whose pain had receded to a dull aching thanks to the Vicodin he had swallowed. He felt Cameron physically relax the closer he moved to her, and it surprised him that he didn't want to sprint away as fast as his leg would allow him. The only thing he wanted was to be close to her.

Still shifting slowly, half-expecting her to push him away, he lay behind her on the luckily large couch, propping himself up on his elbow in the space between her body and the cushions against the back. She was facing away from him, her dark curls brushing his face. He once again reached out his hand to her and began slowly, softly stroking her hair, feeling its delicate silkiness slip through his fingers like water. He felt her intake of breath, and her momentary hesitation – he could almost see the tears forming in her eyes, as her breath became more ragged and shaky. He felt her shift beneath him – for a moment he thought she was pulling away, until she looked up at him, looking deep into his eyes.

Their lips met as if driven by some force beyond either of them. Cameron could hardly believe what was happening – this was everything she had ever wanted, yet everything she had ever dreaded. For a moment, though, she was pulled away into another world – of House's soft lips and contrastingly prickly stubble brushing against her cheek. Cameron felt his tongue sensitively brush against her lip, and she gently parted them for him.

Suddenly Cameron pulled away, closing her eyes and tilting her face away from House's. She felt House tense against her body, and that wet feeling of tears pouring down her cheeks. She felt two calloused fingers touch her chin, tilting it towards him gently, forcing her to look into his eyes.

She realised they still had not spoken all this time.

House's lips parted as he said her name. "Cameron," he whispered into the dark.

Hearing her name spoken that tenderly from his lips brought a fresh wave of tears cascading down her cheeks.

House tenderly brushed some stray hair behind her ear. "Cameron," he whispered again. "If you're not ready, I understand. If you want me to go..."

Cameron sucked her breath in quickly. "No, House," she whispered almost inaudibly. "I don't want you to go. But you have to."

House stroked his fingers on the side of her face. "It's okay," he said. "I know you're still in pain..."

"_No_, House," Cameron said, forcibly louder. House was taken aback for a second, until he saw how upset Cameron actually was.

Cameron tried slow her tears, taking a few deep breaths before continuing. "I don't want you to think of me like that," she said quietly. "I don't want you to think of me... so helpless and pathetic... so ugly and tarnished..." she broke off.

"No, Cameron-" House began, until she began speaking again.

"You don't understand, House," she whispered. "You don't understand how much I wanted you there, during the exam – I wanted you to stay more than anything. But I couldn't bear – I couldn't bear..."

House pulled her a little bit closer to him, brushing her tears away softly with his fingers, almost unable to listen to her painful confession.

"I couldn't bear for you to see me like that."

House exhaled, planting a kiss on the trembling Cameron's forehead. "Cameron," he said, once again whispering her name.

"I couldn't bear for you to see me like that – because I was horrible, yes, but also because I didn't want you to feel like you had to be there for me just because I had been..." she trailed off, unsure if she was able to keep going.

House's voice was husky and soft as he spoke right into her ear. "No, you don't understand," he said. "I always wanted to be there for you. And not just because of what had happened – but because of who you are. Cameron-"

"Stop," she said, putting a finger on his lips. "Please, stop," she choked out, her tears and sobs hindering her speech. "I've wanted this moment for so long, I want it to be because you really care about _me_, not just about what happened to me. Not just because you feel sorry for me."

"I care about you." House almost gasped at his own words, he was so surprised. When was the last time he had genuinely said that to someone?

"I wanted to be there for you because I couldn't bear to see you hurt – I cared about you too much. It scared me – I'm less likely to feel this way than a dog is going to stop licking itself. But Cameron – I'm still me. I'm an old, miserable, sarcastic doctor with a Rubik's complex and a bum leg. I'm not going to change – because people don't change. I'm never going to be a fuzzy teddy bear like you are. But I do know this – I care about you, Cameron. And I'll never stop."

Cameron let out a gasping sob as she buried her face into his chest, with House tightening his arms around her small frame. They lay there for a few moments, until House reached down once again and kissed her so tenderly, so passionately that she thought she was going to just faint dead away right there. This kiss wasn't as slow as the previous, but her lips parted for his tongue once again, and this time she didn't pull away. She felt him let out something between a moan and a growl against her lips as their kiss deepened, his hands in her hair.

Now his lips found their way to her neck, gently yet furiously kissing that soft skin there, moving down to her collar bone and then back up to her mouth as she let out a moan of pleasure. He could feel himself hardening, but needed to make sure it was all right first. He paused – looking at her.

"You're sure, Cameron...." he said, breathing heavily.

"Just kiss me, goddammit," Cameron told him, leaning her face back into his so their lips could meet again. The kisses were faster, furious, as though they were never going to see each other again and needed to get as much of each other as they possibly could.

House felt her shift beneath him as she pulled off his T-shirt while he simultaneously tried to unbutton her blouse, their lips parting contact for only the shortest time possible. He felt her shiver beneath him as she felt his hands touch her bare skin, and he was filled with incredible desire at her soft touch on his bare chest. She was still wearing a bra; she obviously hadn't bothered to change before going to sleep on his couch. He ran his hands through her silky hair, then moved his mouth down her, kissing her passionately from her lips down her neck, right up to the top of her bra. He lowered his mouth further into the rise of cleavage between her breasts, his tongue darting out to softly lick her, as he felt her arch with desire into him.

"Hou-House," he heard her moan through a sigh of pleasure yet a need for more. Frustrated by the material dividing them, he gracefully reached behind her and unclasped her bra, throwing down onto the floor.

House cupped her breast with his hand, gently raking across one of her nipples before lowering his head, putting his face between her breasts as he kissed around both of them, tenderly sucking on each one. When he grazed his teeth on her nipples he felt Cameron buck beneath him with pleasure, and he could feel himself becoming even more hard beneath her. Cameron gripped her hands in his hair, then ran them down his back, then on his chest, gently caressing him. She kissed him once again full on the mouth, and returned the kisses down his chest until she had reached the top of his boxers where she paused, tantalisingly close, then returned back up to him.

House groaned at the thought of her that near him, and brought his mouth back to her chest, kissing back down her body until he reached the slacks she had been wearing that day. With hands almost trembling he undid them, pulling them off her and throwing them down to join their other clothes on the floor.

Now it was only her panties and his boxers between them, and that thought sent shivers of desire through both of them. House felt Cameron reach down him, caressing the bulge through his boxers. Cameron felt a wave of happiness as she heard House let out a groan.

"Oh, _Cameron..._" he sighed gruffly.

Almost torturously slowly, she moved her hands up to the waistband and reached inside his boxers, to find him completely hard and throbbing. She slowly traced her nails up and down his cock, finally wrapping her hand completely around it and began to stroke.

She could hear his breathing coming even more rapidly and felt so amazed that is was _her _who was making him feel like this. His breath caught as her nails raked against his balls, her hands so incredibly soft. He could feel how wet she was, soaking right through her panties onto his legs, and couldn't resist bringing his long piano fingers up to the waistband of her bikinis and gently grazing her pubic hair, watching in satisfaction as she arched her back with pleasure.

He teasingly slowly put another two fingers into her pubic hair, burrowing slowly downward as Cameron arched to meet his fingers, to get him to her faster. He still forced himself to go slow, despite the wild desire in both their eyes. Her amazing scent was enough to make him close his eyes with insane longing as his fingers finally reached her wet femininity, and he felt her shudder beneath him, eliciting soft groans pleasure.

His long fingers slid through her wetness as he caressed and probed her folds, massaging her throbbing clit with the pads of his fingers as he felt her gasp. "You're so hot, Cameron," he moaned, matching her moan as his two fingers slipped gently between her lips, forcing her to grab his hair and almost yell out with bliss. He slid his fingers out again, making her squirm as she tried to reach once again for his hard cock. But instead he painstakingly slowly kissed down the whole length of her body, from her breasts down to her warm belly until he was kissing between her legs so that she was paralysed with pleasure. She was frozen as he dipped his head lower and darted his tongue out, probing her, devouring her. She arched her back and tensed every muscle as he sucked her clit, and she let out more moans of rapture as his teeth grazed against it. "House!" she cried, her eyes closed, face a perfect picture of ecstasy as she clenched, her body a mass of uncontrollable spasms.

House had never been more turned on in his life.

Unable to hold it off any longer, he reached down onto the coffee table, reaching into the drawer where there was a foil packet which he opened. Tenderly she rolled it down him, and they gazed into each others' passion-ridden eyes before he penetrated her, sliding in and out faster and faster until the world was nothing more than a blur of darkness for the both of them. House felt his orgasm slam into him, and he emptied himself with a cry of passion for her, calling out her name into the darkness: "Allison!" Cameron's orgasm came then too, her walls clenching around him as she was thrown into ecstasy.

They lay next to each other, breathing hard, and House reached up slowly once again to stroke her hair. He knew his leg was going to hurt like hell tomorrow, but at that moment he didn't care. Their hot and sweaty bodies were tangled up in each other; he wasn't sure where he stopped and she began. He only knew that he never wanted the moment to end.

_Please Review!_


	12. One Day Only

_Hi guys – sorry for the huge gap, I've been travelling all summer and, well... it took me a while to step back into this world. But I'm here now, and will be updating regularly on this story and my other story, Simple Answers. _

_I hope you enjoy it! _

House could feel her heartbeat on his chest, mirroring his own. He kept his eyes shut, but was aware of every part of his body that was touching hers, every contact point of their skin. Slowly opening his eyes to a sunlight-filled apartment, he sighed with content at the sleeping form of Allison Cameron.

He closed his eyes again, remembering last night. He had never felt like that before. When Cameron had finally told him the _truth_ – the whole truth, about how she felt about him, it was like a slap in the face. He supposed that he had been blind to what was right in front of him for so long, but it made him crazy to think of all that wasted time.

She really cared about him – she wasn't just attracted to some cripple she could "fix". And House cared about her too. More than anything – but then he always had. He had just never admitted it to himself. Cameron had always been there, patiently loving him from a distance. He shuddered to think how close she had come to never even being able to tell him how she felt. About how close she had been to death that night. He would never let that happen to her again. Never.

House lifted his hand, and gently stroked her dark locks, curling his long piano fingers around its silkiness. The sunlight on her face made her look beautiful – like an ethereal angel. Feeling her stir beneath him, he stopped and rested his hand softly on her back.

"House?" Cameron asked sleepily, turning onto her side.

"Yes, Cameron, I'm here," House said gently, stroking her once again.

Cameron shifted onto her front to look at him. "Morning," she said with a smile.

House smiled back. "Morning," he whispered in her ear, his lips lightly brushing her lobe. Cameron felt shivers travel up and down her spine at his touch. They sat there, wrapped in each others' arms for a few minutes, just gazing out of the window into the sunlight.

House sighed. "Cameron," he began, "so I guess you want to talk a--"

Cameron frowned, leaning over and silencing him with a kiss. "Shhh," she whispered. "No talking. For today, just today at least, we are both normal and ignorant people who shared something wonderful. We carry no baggage and had no issues before last night. We are light and carefree. We are happy."

House turned to look her full in the face. "Well, I am Gregory House... but hey, everybody lies. I don't see why I can't do it once in a while," he said with a playful smirk and twinkle in his eye.

Cameron smiled happily, the morning light shining on her face, radiating it. House wanted nothing more than to keep that smile on her face forever – he wanted her to feel this way all the time – normal and contented. But if that wasn't possible, than at least today they could both pretend.

House felt a growl in her stomach vibrate through onto his skin. "Hungry, Dr Cameron?" he asked teasingly. "You'd probably best make the breakfast – I'm more of a quick-coffee-and-run kind of guy."

Cameron smirked back at him. "What? Dr House, I wouldn't have guessed, considering how late you turn up to work every day. I had you pegged as more of a traditional omelette, bacon, pancakes, and freshly-squeezed orange juice man myself."

House tickled her gently. "Well why don't we test that theory," he whispered.

Smiling, Cameron climbed off the couch, pulling the sheet with her, so that the effect made her look like a Greek goddess, with her long dark tresses and soft light features. She turned slowly and sexily towards him. "House, Can I borrow a t-shirt?"

House turned back towards her, instantly turned on by the idea of her in nothing but one of his oversized tees. "Sure," he said, pointing her towards his bedroom, where a chest of drawers stood. Cameron smiled and picked a huge Rolling-Stones one, pulling it over her head. She looked amazing in it, of course, with her hair all messy and morning-sexy.

House rolled off the sofa, humming under his breath until the ache of his leg slammed into him like a freight train. He doubled over, clutching his thigh and gasping out in pain. Hearing his gasps, Cameron rushed over to him at once, putting her hand on his back.

"House!" she said, her face contoured with worried lines.

"It's nothing," he said through gritted teeth. "Just – could you pass me my vicodin?" His brown was starting to show a few drops of perspiration.

She quickly passed him the bottle, her face contoured with worried lines. He shoved three into his mouth, relief washing over his face as he felt the pills travel down his throat, knowing they would soon be at work.

"Cameron," he said quietly. "It's nothing. Let's leave it and go eat some breakfast."

They traipsed into the kitchen, Cameron immediately going over to his cupboards to start making some breakfast. She was searching diligently for any kind of pot or pan, but it seemed that House was not much of an avid cooker. That should have been obvious, she thought.

House reached her, enwrapping her from behind in his arms. "Ah, so has you theory of my secret cooking ability been disproven?" he teased.

Cameron smiled. "Not yet – I'm sure you have your pots hidden very well. If they were in an obvious place, why would Wilson do the cooking for you?"

House smirked. "He would do it for me anyway. Because he _luuurves _me."

Cameron laughed, turning towards him to give him a quick peck on the lips. "I guess I'll just have to make do with what you have then," she sighed theatrically.

House pointed out to her his small collection of a single pan and pot, and Cameron began to scramble some eggs as House poured the orange juice and put on a pot of coffee. House loved seeing Cameron in his apartment like this – making breakfast, as though she had lived here for years. That was all he really wanted.

Cameron turned and caught him starting at her. "What?" she asked quizzically.

House smiled. "Nothing – I just like to watch you cook."

Cameron smiled to herself and served him some of her eggs. They sat quietly eating together, the soft musical tones of the radio floating between them. Cameron looked around her. "I always liked your piano," she said.

House followed her gaze towards his grand in the corner. "I do too – I don't get many compliments on it though, given the fact that the only person I ever have over is Wilson, and he's a little challenged in the music department."

Cameron laughed, turning back to her eggs.

"Do you want me to play for you?" House asked.

Cameron smiled. "I'd love to hear you play."

House got up, limping over to the piano. Cameron moved away from the table and to the couch, lying on the pillows. The memories of last night still lingered on it, and she sank appreciatively into the blanket, shutting her eyes. Her thoughts were interrupted by the gentle notes of the piano, floating towards her. She looked up and saw House gazing right at her, gently into her eyes, his eyes electrifying, his fingers magical. She never wanted the day to end.


	13. In My Arms

_Hey everyone, thanks so much for reading and reviewing my story! This next bit gets pretty fluffy and a little OOC (I try, but House is... well, a little hard to make nice!) Anyway I hope you enjoy. I'm vacationing for about a week, so I wanted to get this update in before I left. Please review if you can - your reviews really are what motivate me to write more! It's so nice to hear thoughts and know people are out there liking the story. _

"Best moment in medicine."

House and Cameron were sitting on the sofa, leaning away from each other on opposite ends of the couch, with their feet touching in the middle, having a mini-foot war.

"Ahh," House sighed loudly. "That age-old question so often presented to us geniuses."

Cameron kicked him with her pink-socked foot.

"Hey! No fair! You can't kick me harder just because you don't like what I say... it is two against one, after all."

Cameron rolled her eyes. "Yeah, well you're bigger than me. And you didn't answer the question."

House threw up his hands. "Fine. Best moment in medicine..." he said slowly, pretending to ponder the question as if his life depended on the answer. "Hmmmmm, that's a toughie.... ahhhhhh, well, there was that one time – no, that other patient – hmmmmmmmm, ahhh..."

"Fine," Cameron said, trying to withhold her laughter. "You don't have to answer. I'm sure you've just had too many – is that right, Dr House?"

"Well, I didn't want to say it without sounding just a little conceited," House played along, "But eventually I do have to admit to myself that I'm a genius and just can't help saving all those lives like I do..."

Cameron kicked him again with her foot, as she laughed at his mock-serious expression.

"My turn," House said happily. "Best..."

"Wait a second," Cameron stopped him. "You never answered my question."

"I thought that we had agreed it was a stupid question."

"No, _you _agreed it was a stupid question."

"Same thing. Almost."

Cameron just rolled her eyes at him. House smirked at her. "You know, the eye-rolling look never gets old," he told her.

She raised her eyebrows at him.

"I mean, it's such an art really – I say something ridiculous, and right on cue you have to roll them ever-so perfectly, not too obviously, not too forcefully, but not too subtly..." he continued. Cameron just shook her head, trying not to do another eye-roll.

House smiled. "Best kiss. Oh, wait – aside from me, of course."

Cameron smirked at him. "Obviously. Hmmm..."

"You know, you can just admit that no kiss even matches up to mine," House said smugly.

She hesitated. House cut in. "Oh no. I forgot about the whole dead-husband malarkey. Okay, never mind. I don't think I can stand another one of your sob-stories..." he stopped, realizing what he had just said. He turned back to Cameron. "Ummm..."

She shook her head. "No. You're right. We're not talking about him or anything else painful today." She shifted slightly to look at him better. "His name was Bernie. We were in love..."

House coughed loudly. "_Bernie?_ What kind of a name is that?"

"Shut up, House," she said happily. "We were ten."

"Oh, so that makes it all the much better. What'd he do, hold a fake wedding on the playground?"

"Actually, that's exactly what we did. It was true love."

House rolled his eyes.

"I get to ask you now," Cameron smiled. "Favourite TV show."

House leaned back. "Too many to choose from. If I had to narrow it down... America's Next Top Model and General Hospital, and Sex and the City."

Cameron actually laughed out loud. "I never really understood."

"What?"

"Why you like them so much."

House hesitated. "It distracts me. For a little while – I can forget about who I am and my pain. I'm just a character, and life is stupid and simple. It's not mine."

She smiled. "I think I can understand that."

"But the real question is – can you truly sink into the world of four beautiful horny women taking on New York with their female empowerment and hare-brained schemes?"

Cameron laughed. "I'll do my best."

***

Half an hour later, House and Cameron had finished their first episode of Sex and the City.

"You hungry?" House asked Cameron. "I have wide array of take-out menus available for your personal selection."

"I'm not that particular. A pizza or whatever is fine."

House smirked. "Works for me. And I don't have to waste the money taking you to some nice restaurant that we would both hate anyway."

Cameron paused. "You mean like on our 'date'?"

House hesitated. "I guess I never really made up for that."

"No. You were right."

"About what?"

"What you said to me. 'I don't love, I need. I'm damaged.'"

"Cameron, I--"

"I am damaged." She paused. "But so are you."

House looked at her. "Well I guess there's nothing left to do but fix each other."

***

They were curled up next to each other, gazing at the face of Hugh Grant, the remnants of their pizza on the coffee table in front of them.

"I love this movie," Cameron was saying sleepily to House's chest.

House rolled his eyes. "A chick-flick for the weak-hearted. I am far too manly for this."

Cameron just grunted softly.

"I mean, look at the description. 'Follows the lives of eight very different couples in dealing with their love lives in various loosely and interrelated tales all set during a frantic month before Christmas in London, England.' That just screams stupidness."

Cameron sighed quietly, turning her head on his chest. "It's a nice movie about love. Now shut up and watch."

House was quiet again for two seconds. "OK, now look at that. How unrealistic is it that this gorgeous girl still loves the tiny kid who chased her through an airport of disturbingly lax security? Gosh, those Brits and their airports."

Cameron rolled over. "House, it's a movie. Just watch."

House smirked. "Whatever you say dear."

Cameron smiled, leaning her head back onto his chest as the end song rolled in. House stroked her hair for a few minutes, until he felt her chest rise and fall steadily. He didn't care that she was blocking his view from the TV. He didn't care that she was making his leg hurt. He only cared that she was safe. Safe in his arms.

_Just press that little button and write a quick comment... you know you want too... lol :)_


	14. Reality

He didn't know how long he sat there, watching her sleep. He only knew that the sky had grown dark and the streetlights outside her house had switched on. Her face was still pale, drawn, even, but she had at least some colour now. He was looking at each little line on it, wondering how it had come to be there – maybe that one there was from when her husband died, that was from her laughter as a child. She was pressing on his leg, and although it wasn't in his nature to succumb to being uncomfortable just for the sake of being sappy, Cameron... she changed him. She didn't _change _him change him, she just.... brought him back, maybe. Back to before he became a cripple. He was still House, of course, a sarcastic and grumpy, somewhat lonely doctor, but he didn't have to be unhappy. He didn't have to be miserable.

*

Daylight and the ringing of his phone interrupted their peaceful slumber.

Cameron twitched with a start, sitting up groggily and reflexively putting a hand over her ears to block out the ring. "What – "

House gently moved her over next to him. "Shhh, it's fine, it's just the phone. Go back to sleep."

She settled contentedly back into the soft pillows of the sofa, House carefully avoiding squashing her as he heaved his painful leg onto the ground. Silently grimacing, he made his way over the blaring rings, rubbing the sleep out of his eyes.

"Alright already," he muttered irritatedly at the noise. Grabbing the phone, he barked a loud, "What?" into it.

"House?" a familiar voice at the other end of the phone asked.

"You called, you should know," House's sarcasm cut back.

"What's going on?"

"Oh for god's sake Wilson," House sniped, annoyed. "What are we, twelve year old girls gossiping about the latest in junior high?"

House could hear Wilson's audible sigh over the phone. "Just tell me, House."

"Tell you how annoyingly chipper your voice is? Yeah, I didn't want to offend you, but actually it has bothered me all these years. It verges on Bambi levels. Didn't your mom just get shot by a big mean hunter or something?" House sniped sarcastically.

"Bambi found a doe-eyed love in the end – complete with singing birds and happy squirrels..."

"Blech. I really could have done without that sappy image."

"House," Wilson sighed, "I think it's time you just told me what is going on. You've been MIA all weekend, and Cuddy's going to have a cow if you're not at work today."

"For god's sake, _mom_, how do I ask you for detailed accounts of _your_ countless relationships?"

"Actually, never, and every time I was rejected it felt like a double arrow in my heart."

Wilson could hear House smirk from over the phone.

"Look, whatever happened, happened, and that's not really any of your business."

"Right, because we haven't been best friends for like... oh, I don't know, forever?"

"What do you want to do, come over, watch sad movies, braid each other's hair and cry?"

"No, I want to have a normal conversation." Wilson mentally banged his head against the wall in frustration, but realized that he should have known better. This was House, after all.

"Well, instead you called me. I'll see you at work in an hour, Wilson," House said as he hung up the phone.

House stood for a moment, contemplating the wall before him. Did Wilson know? Probably. But for some reason that revelation didn't really bother him – which perplexed him more than anything.

His head turned as out of the corner of his eye he saw Cameron roll over in her sleep, edging dangerously near the end of the couch. Going over to her as quickly as his leg would allow, he adjusted her position gently on the sofa, making sure he didn't wake her, before retreating back to his bedroom and throwing on his regular attire of jeans, t-shirt, and blazer, before taking out a carton of orange juice from his fridge. Spotting that Cameron had begun to wake up properly, he brought her over a glass.

"Bonjour, my sleeping beauty," he said in a fake French accent.

Cameron smirked at him, accepting his offer of juice. "What time is it?" she asked, groggily wiping the sleep out of her eyes.

"Um..." House said, looking around for a clock. "It's like quarter to nine."

"_What_?" Cameron panicked, setting the juice down on the coffee table and springing off the couch. "Are you kidding me? I have to go!"

House laughed at her. "Jesus, Cameron, chill a little."

Cameron did not return his cheerful grin. "Unlike you, House, some of us can't just roll into work as late as we want to every day."

"Okay, it's fine. We'll get dressed and be over there in ten minutes," House smirked at her.

"But..." Cameron hesitated. "You want us to go – together?"

House looked at her. "Well, I don't really see how else it's going to work."

"But then – people will know. That I've been here all weekend. Are you alright with that?" Cameron asked slowly.

House didn't even hesitate. "Yes, I am. Are _you_?"

Cameron was taken aback. Raising her eyebrows, she replied somewhat dubiously – "well, yeah."

"All righty then," House smiled. "I guess we have established that yes, you and I, Allison Cameron and Gregory House, are, in fact, driving to work in the next ten minutes to resume our jobs as doctors. Ladies and gentlemen, thank you and goodnight."

Cameron shook her head, smiling as she looked around to find her clothes and traipse off to the bathroom.

House watched her go, amused by her startled reaction to his openness about their "situation". But contrary to her – and popular – prior belief, House always had it in him to be that man. _Someone's _man. He had never been ashamed of him and Stacey, and now that him and Cameron – well, they were something - he didn't want to hide them either. Heck, he wanted to go to the top of Princeton Plainsboro and shout out to the world that he had held the most beautiful woman in his arms last night.


	15. Doubts

_**Author's Note: **__Hey guys, hope you're still enjoying the story! I've got the next couple chapters already written, so updates shouldn't be long coming. I hope you're still enjoying the story – it's drawing to a close, with only a few more chapters to go! Don't worry, you'll still have a few more updates, and I'm still working on my other story, Simple Answers. Anyway, please enjoy, and Review!_

Stepping through the doors of Princeton Plainsboro felt like being the new fish in a glass bowl, but House still had a hard time hiding the smile he felt twitching on his face. He felt like a little boy who had a secret he wanted to share, but desperately wanted to keep to himself at the same time. Glancing to his right, he caught Cameron's eye as they headed towards the elevators on their way up to the diagnostics office. She gave him a small smile, and House was sure he even saw her eye close momentarily in a wink. But maybe he had imagined it.

Sliding open the glass doors with a flourish, House entered the diagnostics office. "Good day to all, my wondrous doctors!" he cried with emphasis.

He smirked as Chase, Foreman, and Wilson all nearly jumped out of their seats. "Jesus, House," Chase gasped. "Can't you ever just enter the room like a normal person?"

"What? And leave you feeling completely relaxed every time you see my shadow approaching? Now that would be no fun," House smirked.

"Well, Dr House – oh, and Dr Cameron," Wilson gave a pointed look to House – "It seems you have your newest case."

"I _was_ wondering why you were here, Wilson," House commented with an equally pointed glare, "seeing as this is an office for _diagnostics_, and not – what is it? Oh yeah, bald children."

"Your wit astounds me, as always, House," Wilson commented sarcastically. "But no, actually, you have a case that unfortunately involves yours truly. Edna George presents with stage 2 ovarian cancer – as well as something else, apparently, which _you _need to diagnose."

Shaking his head at House, Wilson turned to Cameron. "How are you doing, Cameron?" He asked, looking concerned. "I know you had a difficult day on Friday..."

Cameron looked at everyone in the room. "I'm fine," she said, brushing a stray lock of hair out of her face. "Really. Thanks for asking, Dr Wilson. But I've been feeling much better over the weekend, and I think it's best if we just put everything that happened to me completely behind us," she said, throwing a quick glance at House.

Foreman walked up to her. "I think that sounds like a great idea," he said, touching her shoulder reassuringly.

Cameron smiled at him before turning to the whiteboard. "So, what have we got for this case?" she asked, in a businesslike tone.

"Her lungs are apparently chewed up, with no sign of cancer anywhere near them – and she's hypoxic," Wilson frowned, taking in the symptoms.

House walked over to the whiteboard, picking up a marker and chewing the lid thoughtfully, before turning back to his team. "So, any ideas morons? I did hire you for a reason, you know."

"It could be tubular sclerosis," Chase volunteered.

"No, she wouldn't have an elevated SED rate at all," Foreman said, reading through the patient's lab results.

"What about a tuberculoma mass?" Cameron said. "It would account for all her symptoms, and explain why we couldn't see anything on any scans."

House smiled at Cameron. "Excellent idea," he said, turning back to the whiteboard. "Chase, Foreman, go do the biopsy and take another round of blood tests. Let's see what those guys missed the first time round in the lab."

Foreman and Chase threw each other a look as they stood up and left the office, leaving the door swinging behind them. Wilson stood up from the table and turned towards House and Cameron.

"Okay," he said, in a somewhat authoritative tone. "What's going on between the two –"

"Save it, Wilson," House sniped. "Somewhere, I'm sure a cancer patient wants you. I think I can hear their chemo-filled voices calling your name. _Wilson, Wilson, Wilson_..."

"What do you think is going on with them?" Foreman asked Chase as they tested the samples in the pathology lab, their protective goggles partially obscuring their faces. "I mean, House was _happy_. Well, not _happy_-happy, but you know what I mean."

Chase paused, still holding his test tube, his forehead creased because of Foreman's question. "You mean ..."

"Yes of course I mean House and Cameron."

Chase sighed, abandoning his test tube entirely on the table. "Well, obviously something."

"Five points to the brilliant detective doctor Chase. The world still puzzles as to how he figured it out."

"Okay. Fine. So you're demanding a more intricate opinion," Chase replied.

"Yeah, I am. I mean... Cameron just went through hell. And now if something's happening with House – I just don't know if she can handle getting hurt again," Foreman said slowly, his brotherly instinct kicking in. Cameron didn't deserve to be hurt any more than she already had. And he wasn't going to let anything else happen to her.

"No, I don't think she could. But what are we going to do about it? We don't even know if anything happened between them," Chase said.

"We're going to have to find out what's going on then," Foreman remarked, a determined look coming into his eye. "We're going to have to find out the truth."

Foreman knocked on the door that bore the sign "James Wilson, MD". Hearing Wilson's voice calling, "come in!" he turned the knob and pushed open the door, Chase following in his wake.

"Foreman, Chase," Wilson said, looking somewhat surprised. "What's up?"

"It's about House," Chase said, looking serious, his Australian accent featuring more heavily in his worried state.

"I figured that," Wilson sighed. "What's he done this time?"

"Well..." Chase started, before Foreman cut in.

"It's not what he's done. It's what he's probably going to do," he stated angrily. "You've known House for a long time. You know him better than probably anyone else here. You know how he could hurt her."

Wilson looked at Foreman, his soft brown eyes troubled by Foreman's words, a crease lining his boyish brow. "You think I haven't thought of all of this?" he asked Foreman slowly.

Foreman hesitated. "Well..." he started.

"Look, Foreman, Chase," Wilson said assertively. "House is my friend, but Cameron's my friend too. I know what she's been through. I know what he can do. But honestly? I think this time it could be different. I think it might be good."

Foreman and Chase looked at each other, their faces reflecting the others' mixture of shock, yet also understanding. Maybe somewhere deep down they had always both known that those electric gazes between House and Cameron – well, they meant something more than their fights and disastrous date.

"Okay", Foreman said slowly. "I trust you know House better than we do. But Cameron? I'd just rather be sure – sure that she knows what she's doing. What she's getting into. Because House will always be House... and I don't want Cameron thinking she can change him."

Wilson nodded. "A point well taken. Talk to Cameron, but remember what I said. I think it's different this time."

Foreman nodded, and he and Chase turned and left Wilson's office, leaving Wilson staring pensively at the door. What was really going on with Cameron? Did she know who House really was? And was she prepared to stay with him if she did?

_I hope you enjoyed – please review! _


	16. The Next Step

Cameron was sitting at the table in the conference room of the diagnostic office in Princeton Plainsboro when her cell phone vibrated in her pocket. Momentarily surprised – there weren't too many people who called her on her cell phone, especially during work hours – she quickly reached out to answer it.

"Hello?" she said quietly, juggling a pen and mug of coffee in her other hand.

"Is this Dr Allison Cameron?" an abrupt and professional female voice asked on the other line.

"Yes, this is she," Cameron answered, settling down the mug onto the glass table while taking off her reading glasses, folding them carefully.

"Dr Cameron, I am a federal prosecutor for the state of New Jersey. I wanted to inform you that we believe that we have identified the perpetrator in your attack, and would like you to please make a positive identification of this man in a lineup as soon as possible," the woman continued, her tone bright and detached.

To the woman, this might have been her everyday job – to Cameron, it was a world falling apart once again. Finally, it had seemed her life was getting back on track after what had happened – she had talked to the police, done the rape kit, come back to work, House... and now, once again, her rapist and everything he had done to her threatened to spoil it all.

In that flash of a second after hearing these words by the federal prosecutor, Cameron felt a new emotion stirring her up more than anything she had felt yet. She felt angry.

Before now, Cameron reflected, everything had been about being detached, recovering, moving on, and not falling apart. But as soon as she had done that – everything went to pieces again. How much longer would this go on for? For how much longer would her life be held hostage by this rapist and what he had done to her?

Cameron's heart was beating three times its normal pace as she answered the woman. "Um, uh, well..." she said, trying to pull herself together, "Yes. _Yes,_" this time, more emphatically. "Yes, I want to identify him. I want this to be done," she said firmly, her anger threatening to spill into her words and tone.

"I'm more than happy to hear that, Dr Cameron," the prosecutor replied. "You deserve to have that perp behind bars where he belongs."

Cameron couldn't speak for a moment, she could only listen, her heart pounding. Where was everyone? Why was she alone now? Or was it better this way?

"I'm going to need you in court tomorrow at 10:00 sharp. I apologize for the late notice, but this is the only time slot we could find, and I'm sure you'll agree that we'd rather have this over with as soon as possible."

Cameron nodded, before realising that obviously the woman couldn't hear her nod. "Yes," she said quietly, before coughing to clear her throat. "Yes, that's what I want."

"Good. So I'll see you at 10:00 tomorrow morning. Hopefully if there is enough of a case, we'll be able to press charges against this man – provided he is who we think, and we're already fairly certain. You'll need to ID him, answer a few questions, and then you should be free to go until the trial date is set. Is that all alright?"

"Yes," Cameron said again. "Yes, that's all alright."

They hung up the phone, and Cameron rested her head on her arms on the glass table littered with books and medical journals. Just breathe, she told herself, seeing stars she was digging her eyes so far into her arm.

But this was different. She was sick of feeling like the victim, feeling helpless and pathetic. She was angry that her life had been taken over by this rapist. And she wanted some control back.

Putting him behind bars was the way to do it.

Sitting back up, Cameron pushed some stray hair behind her ears and blinked away the tears forming in her eyes as she saw Foreman and Chase enter the room.

"Hey guys," she said a little too brightly, her eyes still slightly glistening. She didn't miss Foreman and Chase's glances towards each other.

"Hey, Cameron," Chase replied, speaking for the both of them. "How are you doing?"

"Why do people keep asking me that," Cameron replied somewhat snappily and out of character, "I'm _fine_."

Chase was taken aback. "Okay, it's just that you looked a little..."

"We want to say something to you," Foreman interrupted Chase, raising his eyebrow at him. "It's about..."

"Let me guess. House," Cameron sighed.

"Well," Chase began.

"Yeah. It is," Foreman cut in again. "Look, Cameron, we all know you've been through a tough time. I can't understand what you're going through, but I know it must be absolutely horrible. But I _do _worry about you. We both do. We really care. Which is why I don't want to see you get hurt again – especially because House isn't the most reliable of guys. What's to say he won't hurt you the same way he has before?"

Cameron narrowed her eyes as she felt a surge of adrenaline mixed with rage course through her. She slammed her hands down on the glass table and stood up abruptly, nearly knocking over the sliver metal chair she was sitting on as she met Foreman's eyes.

"When are you going to see it?" she nearly shouted, her eyes getting a dangerous look in them.

Foreman was so taken aback, he physically stepped away from her. "Cameron," he started, holding up his hands, "slow down. I wasn't suggesting you can't make your own decisions –"

"Yes you fucking well were!" Cameron was shouting properly now, her lips pursed in anger, lines forming on her forehead like contours on a map. "You _both _think you can just fucking think you can waltz in here and tell me what to do – and why? Because now I'm damaged goods? Because now I've been raped, I'm forever going to be labelled a 'rape victim' by you, and so I always need to be protected?!" Cameron had taken on the look of a madwoman. She started to thrash around the office, slamming books on the tables, kicking the whiteboard, shouting as loud as she could.

"You both think you have me all fucking figured out!" she screamed at the dumbfounded Foreman and Chase, who stood rooted to their spots on the carpet, unable to tear their gaze away from Cameron. "You _all _think you have me fucking figured out! You think I need to be pet and cuddled and maybe I'll be okay! But you _don't fucking get it, do you_?" she shrieked, her hair coming loose from its normally pristine bun, so that her dark curls framed her face. "I'm angry! I'm angrier than I've ever been in my life! You think I'm poor Cameron, poor Allison, let's protect her, let's do the right thing. You don't get that I want to cut my rapist into pieces! I want to cut his fingers off one by one, and then I want to strangle him!" she cried, grabbing onto a curl of her hair and pulling it from her scalp as she twisted it violently round her finger, her cheeks red with anger, her eyes filling with hot, angry tears.

Cameron was cut short by House, Wilson and Cuddy entering the diagnostic office, talking to each other as they pushed the glass door, at first not noticing Cameron's face as they argued, once again, over House's patient ethics. Suddenly catching sight of Cameron's borderline hysteria, Cuddy immediately stopped berating House and moved towards Cameron, while House and Wilson remained rooted to the floor next to Foreman and Chase, stunned by Cameron's shouts.

Cuddy put her hand on the shaking Cameron's shoulder, thinking to comfort her, to pull her into her arms and hold her as she had done in the past. But this was a different Cameron, this was an angry Cameron. This was a Cameron who was past Cuddy's help.

"Cameron," Cuddy started. "Why don't you just sit back down and –"

Cameron pushed her away violently.

"Will you _stop _it, all of you? I don't need your comfort or help anymore just because of what happened to me! I'm sick of it, I'm done! I don't want to have this label on me. I don't want to see nurse, doctors, friends, my _colleagues _whispering to each other about me, about whether I can handle this, about whether I'm okay. It's not fair that because of one scumbag's actions, I have to go through life being _that_ person. I just don't want to, but I have to, so I want to kill him. I want to torture him. I want to cut him to pieces and do it all over again. I don't care if I'm a doctor, or a _nice _girl, or the _pretty _girl, or the pitied girl! Of course I'm not fucking okay! But I'm learning to deal with it. I'm Allison Cameron, and I was raped. I was fucking raped, okay?" she shouted, her tears finally spilling out of her eyes. Cameron wiped them furiously from her face with her sleeve, ashamed to be crying, angry at herself, angry at Foreman and Chase and House and Wilson and Cuddy and the world – but most of all, at her rapist.

Fuck you, she thought, for screwing up my life.

Cameron sank down into a chair she hadn't overturned, putting her head into her hands. "I'm sorry," she sobbed through her fingers, trying desperately to halt her tears. Her face swollen, she turned to them, half-laughing and half-crying.

"I have to go into court tomorrow," she said hysterically. "I have to go into court and identify him. I have to go and look into that bastard's eyes again and say that he raped me. I have to tell them what happened again and relive it again, and probably again in the future." She sighed, furiously wiping her face with the sleeve of her lab coat as she turned to face her shocked audience, smiling a little bit at their expressions.

"I'm sorry, guys," she said. "Really, I'm fine."

Her eyes swept over the line of them staring down at her, dumbfounded, as she tried to compose herself. Her eyes caught with House's and they connected, his blue eyes looking deep into hers not with understanding, but with something else.

She knew he could never know what she had been through, but then, no-one could. Only she could ever understand the tearing feeling inside her chest, and the feeling of intense murderous rage that engulfed her, frightening her.

But as she met House's eyes, she felt finally like someone was seeing her as a person, and not as a 'rape victim'. Like someone was seeing her for who she truly was, and forgiving her for it. Someone who thought she was more than the sweet Cameron who worked in Diagnostics.

But that was until House averted his eyes, dropping his gaze, and turned away from her. That was before he could no longer meet her eyes. That was before she realized she was truly alone.

_Please review if you can – they really make an author's day! 3_


	17. Moving On

_**A/N:**__ Hi everyone, and thanks for your continued support of this story. It's been quite a journey, but sadly it must come to an end. There will be one more chapter after this, but it's going to be more like an epilogue – you could almost read this one as the finale chapter, but I think one more is needed to wrap everything up (I already have it written)! Anyway, thank you to everyone who has stuck with and enjoyed this story – I hope you've had as much fun reading it as I've loved writing it. On the upside, ending this story will mean I'll be focusing more on Simple Answers, and might try some one-shots, shorter stories or another show altogether – we'll see. _

_Anyway, thanks everyone. Now, to continue!_

She had gone home after that. Maybe some would call it weak, but Cameron just couldn't bear to see everyone's faces as the news spread that she had lost it, in the middle of work, in front of her boss and the head of the entire _hospital_ for god's sake. Of course, she had been through hell, but that didn't mean that people weren't going to talk. People were always selfish in the end.

Cameron splashed cold water on her face and stared at herself in the bathroom mirror. Her bruises had almost completely faded from her face, they were down to a pale yellowish colour now. Of course, she wasn't accounting for the bruises she couldn't see. The bruises on her heart.

Cameron wiped her face on the soft blue towel and gritted her teeth. She was a fighter. She would get through this – help or no help. Her mind flashed back to when she was younger. She had always been the hardworking one, the one who would _go _somewhere, achieve something in life. She had managed to pay her own way through med school. She had managed to watch her husband die. And she was still here. She would survive this too.

Taking a look out of the window, she was startled to see the sky had gone almost completely dark. How long had she been standing there, thinking? Contemplating her situation? Pitying herself? Loads of people are worse off, she reminded herself. By comparison, you're lucky. You're alive. So end this.

She crossed the hallway and walked into her bedroom, slipping beneath the sheets. She hadn't been home in a while – it felt strange. It felt strange to be in bed alone, without someone there to protect her. To make sure she was safe. Against her better judgment, Cameron felt herself becoming panicked. Were her locks enough? What if he could break out of the jail and come and find her? What if he wasn't even the right man?

The right man. Was she thinking about her rapist – or House?

Cameron was about to turn out the light when the phone rang on her night table, startling her. She looked at the number calling.

House.

She didn't pick up the phone. She listened to it ring three more times, then stop, the silence resounding throughout her bedroom. What would she have told him, anyway? That it didn't matter if he were here to comfort her, he could never understand? That he was right to doubt himself and what he thought of her, because she doubted herself too? That he was never going to be good enough, because she would always carry this burden? That no matter how much he or anyone else wanted to help, she had to go through with it alone, because ultimately it was between her and the man who had ruined everything for her?

Cameron's alarm went off at 7:30. She knew she didn't have to be in court until 10:00, but she wasn't the type to be late.

It didn't matter anyway. Cameron had spent the whole night tossing and turning, alternating between a sleep filled with dark nights and the prickle of those familiar leaves on her back, and the smell of his breath as he whispered by her face. It had been filled with the sound of her own scream, and the warmth of her own blood.

She had felt her heart beating as she gasped for air numerous times throughout the night, reminding herself it was just a dream. It wasn't real life. Or it wasn't real life anymore.

She turned on the shower and climbed in, soaping herself all over to rid herself from the memories. She wanted today to be clean. A step in a new, clean direction. A closing of this chapter of her life.

Meticulously she combed her hair, put on her clothes, ate breakfast. Slowly and precisely.

She left at exactly the right time, giving her exactly enough time to reach the courthouse.

She just didn't know whether she ever wanted to arrive.

"Dr Allison Cameron?"

Cameron looked up at the face of a pleasant-looking, slightly rotund woman whom she guessed to be in her early forties.

"Yes?" she answered.

"I'm Melissa Hayward – please call me Melissa. We spoke on the phone yesterday. I'm the federal prosecutor who is going to be overseeing your case."

Cameron looked up into the face of the woman who had caused her so much pain just the other day. The woman who could help her be done with everything today.

"Dr Cameron, I know this must be very hard for you. I'm not going to cheapen what you've gone through by saying that I understand. But I will tell you that together we can give this bastard what he deserves – a good long sentence behind bars."

Cameron nodded, her breath catching in her throat.

"In a few minutes, I'm going to ask you to come with me so you can identify the perpetrator. Do you have anyone with you today?"

Cameron felt her heart pounding. Did she wish she could answer differently to this question? Or was it better this way?

"No," she answered. "No, I'm alone."

Melissa nodded understandingly. "Sometimes it is better that way, isn't it," she said quietly to her.

Cameron felt more than grateful someone else understood. Or even if she didn't, at least she almost did.

"Now, when you come with me, through the door there will be a small room. I'll be able to come in with you, and there will also be another official in there recording everything. Behind a screen will be five men. It might seem scary at first – I know it'll be difficult to see him again. But remember – they _can't _see you from behind that screen. You can only see them – it'll be like looking into a brightly lit house on a dark night. In front of each man will be a piece of paper with a box on it. You'll be able to take as much time as you want – I encourage you to look at each man closely. When you have found the right man, you put an 'x' in that box. Then you can leave."

Cameron looked at Melissa, feeling the colour draining from her face. There was nothing difficult about what she had just said. And yet Cameron wanted everything to be over as soon as possible. She pushed a stray lock of dark brown hair away from her eyes.

"And then what?" she almost whispered.

Melissa smiled reassuringly. "Depending on whether you see your man, we'll take it from there. Why don't we take it one step at a time, okay?"

Cameron nodded. "Okay," she said strongly. It was time to be done.

It was such a small room, and so much darker than she had expected, Cameron momentarily felt shocked and froze in the doorway as her body tried to lead her away from what it considered danger. She tried to keep her thoughts away from that night. But it was impossible when that night was the reason she was standing here in this personal hell right now.

She took a step into the room, and then another, acutely aware of every sound of her shoes on the hard floor, the harsh tapping noise they made, and the way it reverberated throughout the room. She focused on the movement of the pen of one of the people standing in the room, noting everything down, watching it bob, hearing it scratch. She focused on the sound and feeling of her own breathing resonating through her chest. She focused on everything except for what was behind the partition in front of her.

She felt a tap on her shoulder and turned towards her lawyer Melissa, who gave her an encouraging smile. Cameron somehow felt better. She really just wanted it all to be over now.

Returning Melissa's nod, Cameron turned towards the thick glass of the partition wall in front of her. 'Lights!' she heard someone shout, and the lights behind the glass were flicked on.

No-one was there. Cameron breathed a momentary sigh of relief that was short-lived – five men were being led into the space behind the thick glass.

She could feel her muscles tensing, sweat starting to break out as she tried to concentrate on not concentrating on the men before her. Five men. Lined up in a row. Looking at her. But not looking at her, either.

"They can't see you, remember," Melissa whispered in her ear. "Remember that. Whenever you're ready."

Cameron took a deep breath and lifted her eyes towards the five men standing before her.

It's strange, she thought, how one person, there for so short a time, can have so much impact on your life. One night, and she was, will always be, a different person. She walked as close as she dared to number one. She raised her eyes to his face with a detached sort of interest as a way to stem the pounding of her heart against her ribcage. Study it like it's a body part in med school, Cameron, she told herself. It's not a person, it's just a specimen. Specimen number one.

Specimen number one was not her rapist.

Cameron moved down the line, her jaw clenched so hard she thought for a second her muscle might start to cramp. She didn't even need to bother looking at numbers two or three. She knew they were not him, but she wanted to avoid number four. She had seen number four as soon as he came in. And she had avoided his eyes.

Walking towards him, she stood slightly further away than she had the others. She knew he couldn't see her, but she could look straight into his eyes, and felt them burning holes in her, in her soul. For one night, her and this man had become one, and he had held her life in his hands. What if he had decided he wanted to kill her, instead of just leave her there? Did he regret what he did? Or was he just sorry he was caught?

Looking into her rapist's eyes, Cameron felt a thousand emotions pass through her so quickly she almost couldn't process more than a thought at a time. It was reliving and yet it was letting go. It was fear and yet it was security. As she felt those eyes and remembered that night, she finally just felt tired. Enough was enough, it was time to go home.

She put a cross in the box by number four's name. She turned and left the room.

Walking out of the courthouse into sunshine was strange. Cameron couldn't quite believe that after everything that day, the world still moved on, the sun still shone. The birds didn't still sing after she had been raped, did they?

She tripped over a small pebble on the sidewalk and she almost laughed as she bent down to pick it up. It was grey and smooth and perfectly round, and it reminded her of a pebble her father had given her once when she was a child. He had told her that if she kept the pebble she would always be safe, because he would always look after her. She still hadn't told her family about the rape.

She started to stand up when she caught sight of, no more than four feet away from her, a pair of dark Nike sneakers placed resolutely on the sidewalk by a tree. Straightening herself up and slipping the stone into her pocket, she found herself looking into the piercing blue eyes of Gregory House.

"I didn't go in," he told her, twirling his cane delicately in his long, piano fingers. "I didn't go in because I knew that was what you wanted." He stopped twirling it, and bent slightly away, momentarily unsure. "That is what you wanted, right?"

Cameron was still glued to his eyes, her body electric, every pore was a socket. Finally she found it within her to speak.

"How did you know?" she asked.

House shrugged, resting his cane on a tree root and bouncing it up and down before gazing into her eyes once more. "Yesterday you – you said what you felt. What you meant. I knew you needed to finish something by yourself. That if I were there, you would never know if it were done or not. If I were there, you couldn't start to let go."

Cameron smiled at him. "I guess you know me better than I know myself sometimes," she said shyly, unsure of this sensitive House, but familiar with his astute sense of perception. He had known what she couldn't bear to admit to herself – that some things she needed to finish alone.

House smirked. "After yesterday, I think a lot of people know your feelings very well," he said, his tone still light so Cameron would know he didn't mean it too hardly.

Her eyes crinkled in the corners. "You know," she said hesitantly, "it's not over. There's going to be a long trial. My lawyer told me that for some the trial is like doing it all over again. Reliving it. It drags on until the victims – we – can't take it anymore."

House reached out and touched just her wrist, the tip of his skin making contact with the bone sticking out by her sweater. "But I'll be here for that," he told her. "I'll be here for it all. And you're strong. You'll get through this."

Cameron melted under his touch – the smallest point of contact was like droplet of acid burning and corroding through her skin, literally melting her. "I know I will," she said softly.

House gently pushed her towards her car. "You go home and rest," he said gently. "I'll see you tomorrow at work."

Cameron suddenly felt her heart sink. Had everything – them – not really been anything? Was he now just a frie—

She suddenly felt herself being pulled back towards House as he enveloped her in his arms and, electrifying her once more with his gaze, kissed her.

"Now," he said gruffly, "now you can go. I'll see you at work tomorrow, Dr Cameron."

Cameron turned towards her car. "See you at work tomorrow, Dr House," she replied, shaking her head and walking towards the sunlight.

_Please review!_


	18. Epilogue

_**Author's Note: **Hi everyone, here is, as promised, the epilogue to Take My Pain. I just wanted to thank you all once again for supporting me in this wonderful journey that I've had in writing this story - I've learned a lot, and loved every minute, and I hope you have too. Even though the show may be taking a different path, I think we can all agree that there was something special between House and Cameron, and I know I've loved exploring the endless possibilities of a relationship between them, and I hope that the stories for this couple never end - I have no intention of stopping writing them! _

_Thanks everyone - and now, for the final chapter . . ._

* * *

The next two weeks at Princeton Plainsboro had been strange for everyone, including House and Cameron. There was what can only be described as a partial peace in the diagnostics office – House was still terrorizing everyone he could find and his patients still remained a low priority, but now there was a human side to him. Now there was someone to keep him grounded.

The others in the hospital still couldn't quite believe it. Gentle Cameron falling for House – and House actually accepting her? Was it madness? And so they watched, and were astonished to find that their relationship – if that was what you could call it – was astoundingly honest and real and that they had now almost fallen for this couple as much as House and Cameron had fallen for each other. And yet full acceptance was impossible. Doubts niggled in the back of their minds, and they couldn't shake off the idea that this relationship which seemed so perfect was headed for an inevitably hard fall.

There was probably no-one more incredulous than Foreman, Chase, Cuddy, and Wilson – they couldn't really comprehend the way House had supported Cameron through her trouble, and managed to stay with her, and not run away when the going got tough. They understood that House hadn't changed and saw how he was the same sarcastic cripple, but they also saw how Cameron made him that little bit less miserable and – dare they think it – almost happy.

They were doing a differential in the diagnostics office, and House had just sent his ducklings off to test for some disease when he was stopped by Wilson who was striding into the office.

"House," he said, holding a chart. "I need to talk to you and Cameron."

House raised his eyebrows. "Is someone dying?" he asked, indicating Wilson's chart in his hand.

Wilson rolled his eyes. "Not either of you, as far as I know," he said. "But I just wanted to – well, to make sure that everything was – well, I guess I just wanted to check everything," he said, becoming flustered. "Look, Cameron, I know you've had a tough couple of months, and House – well, he can be a handful and I just wanted – "

House grimaced. "Jimmy ma boy, sorry, but Cameron's off limits to your sob-story ploy to get women, as she is currently seeing _me_," he said, pulling Cameron closer to him. "Why don't you go off and try and find some other needy woman. Like a cancer nurse. Or cancer doctor. Or cancer mom. Heck, why not a cancer patient, it wouldn't be the first time – "

Wilson rolled his eyes. "Okay, House. Try and beat me down. But Cameron," he commented, fixing her with his gaze, "I hope you know what you're doing. But I guess that if you can stand to be around this – well, whatever he is, for more than a few weeks at a time – then there must be something between the two of you I'll just never understand. Not even when I'm as old and as sarcastic as House."

He started towards the glass doors, pausing before walking out, and turning back toward them. "And House – congratulations. It seems you've found a woman who can bear being around you without going insane. Don't waste this opportunity. Don't let her slip through your fingers."

House and Cameron watched his retreating steps down the hallway, before looking back at each other.

Cameron couldn't tear her gaze away from House's electric blue eyes, but then again, she had never been able to resist his contemplative stare. Both of them were trapped, thinking about what Wilson had just said.

"Are you going to waste me?" she said suddenly, breaking the silence. "Is it all for nothing? Now that you've won your conquest, you have me completely fallen for you, are you done? Do I know what I'm doing at all?" Cameron's breath caught in her throat.

House kept up his stare. "Cameron, you don't understand at all, do you."

"It somehow seems that to you, I never do."

"That's not what I meant."

"What is it, House? How do I know that you're not just going to get bored of me, and ditch me as soon as you think you've solved your damn puzzle?"

"Because you mean more to me than a damn puzzle!" House shouted, slamming his cane down on the table with a loud _bang_. Cameron jumped back, a look of total fear plastered on her face.

House sighed, walking back towards her. "Cameron –"

"No, House!" she shouted back, heat welling up behind her eyes. "Look at us, we've been together for two weeks and we're already fighting. Everyone expects us to fail." She gasped loudly, trying to contain a sob. But no. Today she would be strong. There wouldn't be any crying.

"But that's who we are."

Cameron frowned up at him. "What are you trying to say, House?"

"You and me. We talk, we argue, we fight. We drive each other crazy –"

"This is great, House. You're really telling me that after everything that's happened between us, now you're just going to decide that we're too –"

"No, Cameron! Don't you see?" He sighed, twirling his cane in his hands. "Yes, we talk, argue, and fight. But we also laugh and love, and not to mention, have some seriously hot sex . . . "

"What?" Cameron looked astonished. "What did you say?"

House stopped twirling his cane abruptly, feeling a small patch of sweat forming between his brows. Crap. What did he just say?

"I said that we laugh and love. Not to mention have some hot sex." He looked expectantly back at her.

"We laugh and..."

"Love."

House and Cameron looked into each others' eyes, connecting in a way only the two of them can.

"Cameron," House said quietly. "You know that."

She closed her eyes, and leaned into him, her head on his chest, feeling his heartbeat beneath his shirt. Looking up into House's electric blue eyes, she smiled.

"We're going to drive each other crazy," she commented.

"Yeah, we are. And Wilson's going to have to find a new wife," he said smirking as he touched her on the end of the nose.

Cameron smiled up at him. "But it doesn't matter to me, House," she told him quietly. "It doesn't matter if we argue every day, and fight all the time." She sniffed his collar, inhaling the scent that was Gregory House, closing her eyes to hold onto the moment forever. "Because you take my pain away. And I'll always love you for that."

"No, Cameron," House said, turning her around to look at him face to face.

"You take away mine."


End file.
